


Donkey Kong Country

by Lady_Zephyrine



Series: Donkey Kong [2]
Category: Donkey Kong (Video Games), Donkey Kong Country
Genre: Alcohol, But there probably is, Cranky is also a butt, DK tries to be a good guardian, Family Feels, Gen, K. Rool is a butt, Mostly towards Gorilla Glacier onwards, Novelization, There may or may not be suffering in this, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, Will update tags in the future, it gets a little violent in some parts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-05-27 23:17:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15035480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Zephyrine/pseuds/Lady_Zephyrine
Summary: All DK did was let Diddy guard the Banana Hoard, and yet nobody expected the Kremling Krew to take off with them.  Now, DK has to team up with his nephew in order to get every single one of them back.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I know that novelizations aren't anything new, but I've been wanting to redo this story for a while now. I actually did two novelizations on my old FF.net account (I also did DKC2, and I was too burned out to do DKC3), but I figured I'd make this into a series of some sort. I also plan on making a few stories that take place in between the DKC games, one of them I want to do involving Diddy meeting Dixie for the first time.
> 
> With that being said, there will be mentions of stuff that don't show up until later games (including DKR and the Retro games, though I don't know if I'll do those ones), So keep that in mind. Anyway, here's hoping I don't get burned out this time around.
> 
> Here's the old version if you want to see that train wreck: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9627123/1/Donkey-Kong-Country

It was a typical day on Donkey Kong island. The inhabitants of this island, primates simply known as "Kongs", were going about their daily routines. Two of these Kongs were deep in the jungle, gathering bananas. One of them was a gorilla with a red tie around his neck, the other Kong happened to be a child, who wore a red shirt, a red hat, and possessed a long tail.

The gorilla grabbed some more bananas and tossed them below so that his nephew could catch them. Instead, they fell on top of his head. The gorilla dropped down from the tree with concern, he took the now-bruised bananas off his nephew's head. "You OK, Diddy?"

"I'm all right, DK" Diddy replied. "Besides, it'll take more then a few bananas to knock me out."

"Hey, I just wanted to make sure," DK said lifting one of the barrels. "C'mon, we should probably take these back before Cranky yells at us."

"All right, DK!" Diddy said as he tried to lift one of the barrels. He struggled at first, as he was practically hugging the barrel before he got it off the ground. The duo began to make their way into Kongo Village. It was a small village, but this was where some of the Kongs called home. DK kept looking back at Diddy, he wanted to make sure he didn't trip on himself like the last time he helped gather bananas. So far, though, he's actually been doing a good job keeping up with him. It was impressive, to say the least.

"So why do we need a Banana Hoard again?" Diddy asked curiously.

"Because we'd starve without 'em," DK replied. "Trust me, Diddy. The last thing we need is an island full of hungry Kongs,"

"Oh..." Diddy had a puzzled look on his face, "Have we ran outta bananas before, though?"

"Well..." DK furrowed his brow as he tried to think. "We DID have an orangutan steal the entire hoard one night, not to mention that he kidnapped me back when I was 9."

"So how'd you get outta there?"

"Easy," DK replied, "My dad had to step in. Let's just say that we haven't seen that orangutan since then."

"That sounds amazing," Diddy said trying to lift the barrel yet again, "I dunno how I could ever keep up with you guys..."

"Well, trust me. It's not easy training to become a king. But once you actually become one, it's really not that bad."

Eventually, the two Kongs made it back to the Kong's banana hoard. As the name suggested, the Banana Hoard was a cave full of bananas. The larger piles usually consisted of green bananas while the smaller piles had more ripened bananas. DK tossed his bananas out of the barrel, which landed on one of the piles. He then grabbed Diddy's barrel and tossed his bananas on another pile.

"So what are we gonna do now?" Diddy asked.

"I was gonna head on over to Funky's place," DK replied. "Do you wanna come with us?"

"No thanks," Diddy replied as he made his way into the tree house. "I'll talk to you later, OK?"

"All right," DK yelled back. "Just don't go wanderin' off by yourself, OK?"

Diddy gave DK a thumbs up, letting him know that he heard him loud and clear. DK never really worried about his nephew running off on his own, though part of it might've been because the other Kongs his age liked to pick on him. It would be nice if Diddy had some new friends to hang out with. But for now, there wasn't much that DK could do. Perhaps Funky might know how to help him out? He could even bring Diddy's tiger friend over, since he knew those two have gotten pretty close over the last couple years.

Whatever happens, he was sure that Funky could help him in some way or another.

 

* * *

 

DK finally made his way over to Funky's place. There, he saw two gorillas looking over a damaged plane.

"I'm tellin' ya, this wasn't s'posed to happen," said the younger gorilla, Funky. "It just sorta...gave out."

"Fantastic," said the elderly gorilla, Cranky. "How are we supposed to get anything imported if the plane doesn't even work!"

"Listen here, old man," Funky said, crossing his arms impatiently. "Until I get my plane fixed, I'm not gonna be able to do anything. So until then, we're not gonna be able to go anywhere!"

"Bah, what do you care?" Cranky said angrily. "Back in my day, we had to travel by boat.

"Am I missing something here?" DK asked, butting in. Funky looked over to DK and shook his head. "It's nothin', Donkey-dude. I just need to fix my plane."

"Huh...that's too bad," DK said in disappointment.

"Actually, you came here at a perfect time," Cranky replied. "I was about to come over later to talk to you about Diddy."

"What for?" DK asked, curiously. Cranky sat down on the porch stair, he offered for DK to sit down next to him. Once DK sat down, he tilted his head. He wondered what Cranky was going to say.

"Now, do you remember having to go through a lot of training with Junior when you were 9?"

"Yes," DK replied. "But what's this have to do with Diddy?"

"He's 9, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but he's already been helpin' me collect bananas for our hoard."

Cranky frowned in disapproval, he placed both of his hands on his cane. "That may be true, but I don't think it's enough!"

"Well, what else am I s'pose to do?" DK asked, bitterly.

"Oh, I dunno," Cranky said nonchalantly before he bopped DK on the head with his cane. "HAVE HIM GUARD THE BANANA HOARD FOR ONCE, YOU BABOON!"

"WHAT? NO!" DK yelled back, "I CAN'T KEEP HIM UP ALL NIGHT, AND WHAT IF ONE OF THE KREMLINGS ATTACK!?"

"He'll be fine, DK."

"But what if he isn't!?"

"When's the last time you saw a Kremling?"

Funky stood there silently, he watched as the two Kongs continued to bicker. As much as he hated conflict, he knew he had to step in somehow.

"Yo, what if Diddy guards the banana hoard until midnight instead?" Funky suggested, gaining the attention of the other two Kongs.

"Because then you'd be going easy on him!" Cranky argued.

"Well, maybe that's not such a bad idea," DK replied, rubbing his chin. "He could just ease into it for a while before actually stayin' up all night."

"Ugh, fine!" Cranky said, rolling his eyes. "But I STILL think you're goin' easy on that kid!"

DK smiled as he shook his head. After all, if he was going to train Diddy to become a king, he was going to do it under his own terms. And besides, Diddy was always eager to impress DK in some way or another, so he probably wouldn't mind.

 

* * *

 

As DK headed off to Funky's place, Diddy had gone back into his tire and started playing something on an old Game Boy. As much as he liked training with DK, he wasn't even sure if he could ever be as good of a king as his uncle. It didn't help that most of the Kongs would compare him to to the likes of his grandfather and great-grandfather. Like DK, they used to be such strong apes, taking care of the island in ways that the Kongs would benefit from it. And contrary to what his great-grandfather says, DK was no different.

And then there was Diddy, who hardly had any muscle on his arms. He had a tail, but what good would that do him? If anything, all he can do with it is grab onto branches.  He couldn't lift barrels as easily as DK, nor could he ever keep up with him. But who knows? Maybe Diddy will do something heroic one day? The monkey shook his head, something like that probably wouldn't happen for another few years.

"Squawk!"

Diddy's thoughts were interrupted as a green parrot landed on the window sill, he had what looked like a piece of paper under his feet.

"Hey, Diddy! Looks like you've got another letter!"

"Who's it from?" Diddy asked, crawling out of the tire and taking the letter from Squawks.

"It's from Timber," Squawks replied. "Who else would it be?"

Wondering how his friend was doing, Diddy nodded as he began to read the letter.

\--

_How's it goin', Diddy? It's been a while since I last saw you._

_So I heard you turned 9 not that long ago. That means you're one step closer to being a king, right? I don't know how it works on that island, but I'm sure you'd make a great king._

_As for me, My parents left me in charge of the island again...well, kinda. Taj is still lookin' out for me, but what can you do, huh? Still, I get to run around and play games all day. I guess this is what it's like being a king?_

_Either way, I hope I can see you guys real soon. And who knows? Maybe one day you could come over so that we can be kings together._

_\- I'll see you around, Timber._

\--

Diddy's mood instantly lit up after reading Timber's letter. It was amazing how different he was compared to Diddy, despite not being much older than he was. He wished he had as much confidence as his friend, but alas, there was nothing he could do to fix that.

"Say, Diddy?"

"Hm?"

"What were you thinkin' about just then? Did those Kong children attack you, again?"

Diddy shook his head. "They haven't done anything to me at all today."

"Well that's good," Squawks said happily. "And hey, maybe someday they'll start listening to you like they do with DK."

"Yeah, maybe," Diddy responded. Looking outside, the weather didn't look too bad aside from a few dark clouds here and there. He knew what DK said about wandering off on his own, but perhaps a quick stroll through the jungle wouldn't hurt? After all, those kids should stay away as long as he steered clear from the village. He climbed out of the tree house and made his way through the jungle, he was going to enjoy the weather while he still can.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diddy guards the Banana Hoard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm well aware that this went pretty differently from the games. But hey, what can you do? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

As the day went by, the sky began to look more and more grey. However, the rain that fell was nothing more than a light drizzle. Nonetheless, Diddy figured that it was time to head home.

He made his way through the jungle, avoiding the village as much as possible. Things were actually going well so far...at least until Diddy almost got hit in the face with a red ball. His fur stood on end as he yelped, this could only mean one thing.

Coming through the bushes were a small group of Kongs, around Diddy's age. The smallest of the three was a Squirrel Monkey, she was even shorter tham Diddy. The largest one was a gorilla, Diddy could swear that he was almost up to DK's shoulders. And then there was the leader of the group, the orangutan. He grinned widely as Diddy tried to back away like a frightened cat.

"Well, where have YOU been," asked the orangutan as he grabbed Diddy by the shirt, "I thought weaklings like you weren't allowed out here."

"At least not without DK holding your hand all the time," said the squirrel monkey.

"W-well, I'll have you know I helped DK carry bananas today," Diddy retorted, causing the three Kongs to laugh at him.

"What, did you trip on yourself again?" asked the gorilla.

"I'll bet he did," the Squirrel Monkey replied, "seeing as he can't even walk without tripping on his own tail."

"Psh, even without a tail he'd still have trouble carrying things," said the Orangutan, "He can't even pick up a feather!"

Diddy sat there as the Kongs continued to berate him. As much as he wanted to fight back, he knew it was just going to backfire on him. All he could do was try to reason with them, since the last thing he needed was to get beaten into a pulp.

"I don't see why you guys wanna make fun of me all the time," Diddy said bitterly, "'Cause unlike you guys, I was chosen to be the next king of the island."

"And how do you know it wasn't a mistake?" The squirrel monkey asked.

"I-"

"Maybe Tiki Tong chose you because he felt bad for you," said the Orangutan. "Or maybe he thought it would be funny to have a weakling like you rule the island."

"I'm NOT a weakling!" Diddy argued, "And if you keep this up, I'll get DK to banish you from the island!"

"Aw, is little Diddy mad at us?" The Squirrel monkey teased.

"Guess we'll have to teach ya a lesson," The orangutan said as he prepared to punch him in the face. Diddy panicked he squeezed out of the orangutan's grasp and started running as fast as he possibly could. He could hear the other Kongs laughing behind his back.

"THAT'S RIGHT, YOU'D BETTER RUN!" The Orangutan yelled as he continued to laugh. Losing against him didn't matter all that much to Diddy, he was fine as long as he got out of there without a scratch.

Once Diddy got back home, he climbed back into his treehouse. He was about to collapse back into his tire. But before he could, DK had walked into the tree house and shook his rain-covered fur.

"Heya, Diddy," DK greeted.

"Hiya, DK," Diddy greeted back. "How'd it go at Funky's place?"

"Eh..." DK shrugged, "Funky's plane broke, and he's been tryin' to fix it all day."

"Well that's not good," Diddy replied. DK nodded. "Not only was that goin' on, Cranky was there too."

"Was the plane really that bad?"

"It was pretty bad, but there was something else he wanted me to talk about."

"Like what?"

"Well, we were all talkin' and uh...How do you feel about doin' something other then collecting bananas for once?"

"Really?" Diddy asked, excitedly. "Whaddaya gonna have me do this time, Big guy?"

"This time I'll have you guard the Banana Hoard for tonight," DK said, scratching the back of his head. "Do you think you can do that?"

"O-Of course," Diddy replied, despite his concern for the weather. "Do I have to stay out all night?"

"Of course not," DK said patting his nephew's back. "You can come back up after midnight. I can take over for ya after that, sound good?"

Diddy nodded, though he was still concerned about what the weather was going to be like. He was hopeful that it would stay as a light drizzle for the rest of the night. But even then, he didn't want to disappoint DK.

Besides, what's the worst that could happen?

* * *

 

It was 11: 35 at night, less then half an hour until midnight. Ever since Diddy started guarding the banana hoard, that drizzle had evolved into a thunderstorm. Most of the animals were able to find shelter, some of which hid under trees and larger animals to keep dry. Of course, the animals weren't the only creatures trying to keep themselves dry. A small group of Tikis were huddled inside a hollow tree. They stayed perfectly still like a stack of drums, watching as the rain fell outside. Lightning had struck, the Tikis began to shake. It wasn't because of the thunder, but because of the strange lizard men that walked by them.

"Should we do something about those things?" One of them asked.

"Nah, leave them be," said another lizard. "Remember, we're just here for those Bananas."

Meanwhile, Diddy was sitting on a boulder inside the banana hoard. He was shaking, he would much rather be inside the treehouse, but he didn't want to disappoint DK. So he stayed put.

Thunder roared throughout the jungle, Diddy fell off the boulder in a state of panic. He always hated thunderstorms, and tonight was to exception. He tried to climb back onto the boulder, but he began to hear noises outside. Diddy stayed behind the boulder, his fur was standing on end. As much as he wanted to believe that it was DK or Cranky, he had a bad feeling about who it was outside. In fact, these guys looked more reptilian than anything.

"So this is where the Banana Hoard is, right?" Diddy heard someone ask.

"Looks like it," said someone else.

"Huh...So I wonder why Donkey Kong's not here guarding it?"

"Maybe he's sick?"

"Don't be rediculous, Krusha. He's probably off with his grandfather or somethin'."

Diddy listened quietly, he knew something was wrong. He wanted to go and get DK so he could take care of these guys, but he wasn't sure how he could do this without getting caught.

"Squawk!"

Diddy jumped, what stood in front of him was a brown parrot. He tilted his head, the parrot did the same thing. It was as if they weren't sure what to make of this situation.

"What'd you find, Screech?" one of the intruders asked. Diddy shook his head, as if he were begging not to get caught.

"Well, wouldn't you like to know?" Screech said as he grabbed Diddy's tail and dragged him out. The monkey tried to claw himself away from the parrot, but he was inevitably face-to-face with the intruders, the Kremlings.

"Can't you believe it," asked one of the smaller Kremlings, "DK got his brat to guard the hoard for him!"

"I-I wouldn't stay here if I were you," Diddy yelled in an attempt to look threatening. "C-cause if you do, then I'm gonna-"

"You'll do what?" mocked one of the bigger Kremlings, "Do you really think that a wimp like you'd stand a chance against US?"

As much as he hated to admit it, the Kremling was right. There was nothing he could do, but perhaps DK could do something. He wiggled his tail free and darted past some of the Kremlings.

"Don't just stand there, grab him!" one of the Kremlings yelled. Diddy was about to escape, but the biggest Kremling managed to knock him in the head, causing him to pass out.

"Oh gees," the Kremling said as he picked Diddy up by the shirt. "What should I do with him?"

"Just get rid of him, Krusha!"

"...OK," Krusha said with a shrug. He grabbed a nearby barrel and placed Diddy inside before placing the lid on top, sealing the barrel.

"Hey, I thought you were supposed to get rid of him," yelled the smaller Kremling.

"I am," Krusha replied as he chucked the barrel outside. "See? He's gone now!"

"No, we mean-"

"Hey, I said to get rid of him and he did. It's not like that Monkey's gonna do much, anyway."

"...I guess that's fair."

One by one, the Kremlings gathered as many bananas as they possibly could. Screech flew on top of one of the Kremlings' heads. "So Klump, what do you suppose we do now?"

"We'll be headin' off to the other side of the island," Klump said. "As for you, we need you to go back to King K. Rool tomorrow morning. Let him know that we've got the bananas and we're on our way."

"Yes, sir!" Screech replied as he flew off to find King K. Rool. The Kremlings continued to march on and on as the rain kept pouring. As they moved, they made their way through the village. As far as they were aware, all of the Kongs were asleep...

...All of them except for Cranky. He sat by the window, watching as the Kremlings continued to march. It looked like he made a mistake in trusting Diddy with the Banana Hoard, but he couldn't help but wonder where DK was. Either way he was going to have to talk to them tomorrow morning whether they like it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Back in my day, we didn't have these horrible fanfictions. We had actual books, and we enjoyed it!"
> 
> ...But in all seriousness, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a head's up, there's a small alcohol mention in this just in case that makes you uncomfortable.

It was finally morning, the rain had stopped. Everything within the jungle began to awaken as if nothing happened last night.

DK was still in his treehouse, barely awake. He sat up and stretched before he realized that the sun had risen already. He could've sworn that he told Diddy to wake him up before midnight. He looked over at the tire bed, concerned that his nephew wasn't there. Perhaps he fell asleep in the Banana Hoard?

He grabbed a red tie that was hanging off a nearby rope and tied it around his neck before heading out. He walked into the Banana Hoard expecting to find Diddy sleeping on one of the boulders...Only to find out that all of the bananas had gone missing. Not only that, Diddy was missing, too.

"So, it looks like those Kremlings came here after all," said a familiar voice. DK shook his head, turning his attention towards his grandfather. "Now's not the time for this, Cranky!"

"But I was just telling you that I saw the Kremlings walk by," Cranky replied. "Do you know why that is?"

"I dunno, I just woke up," DK argued as he looked behind one of the boulders. Cranky began to run his fingers through his beard, trying to appear deep in thought. "Well, didn't you say that Diddy was supposed to guard the Banana Hoard until midnight?"

"Yeah, and he was supposed to wake me up," DK replied as he continued to search.

"I see...well, we'd better go find him along with the rest of the Banana Hoard."

DK nodded as he began to follow Cranky through the jungle. The ape couldn't believe his eyes, the road leading to the village was littered with mushed bananas and banana peels. It took him DAYS to harvest all those bananas, and it would take MONTHS in order for more bananas to grow.

The Kongs stopped walking, they came across a group of beavers called gnawties...and a rhino. They appear to have been circling a barrel, the rhino was pawing at it, as if it were trying to be careful not to break it.

"What did you find, Rambi?" DK asked the rhino as he walked closer to him. Rambi nudged the barrel with his horn, he gave DK a sad look.

"What? Is there any fruit in there?" DK asked as he picked up the barrel and tried to open it. Cranky shook his head impatiently, "Now's not the time for this, DK!"

"But I can't let Rambi starve!" DK argued as he ripped the lid off the barrel. He flipped it upside down, what came out of the barrel was a very confused Diddy. "Gah!"

"Oh geez," DK said, offering to help Diddy stand. "You OK, Little Buddy?"

"I don't know," Diddy replied, clutching his head. "I don't even remember how I got in there."

"Well, do you remember what happened to the Banana Hoard," Cranky asked in an almost demanding tone. Diddy had to think, his tail dropped to the ground. "Let's see...it was almost midnight, and then someone came in...I think they were asking about the Banana Hoard or something, but I can't remember anything else."

"Well, I guess that explains why DK was still sleeping in his treehouse."

"Wait, I thought I woke him up," Diddy said in a worried tone. "I DID wake you up...right, DK?"

"I'm afraid not," DK said, shaking his head. "But don't worry, I'll get those bananas back before you know it."

"But what am I s'posed to do?"

"Just go back to the treehouse and rest up, OK?"

"B-But I want to come with you!" Diddy blurted out before quickly covering his mouth. DK and Cranky gave each other a confused look. They stayed silent for a moment before DK gave his nephew a stern look. "I can't let you do that, it's too dangerous."

"But I gotta," Diddy argued. "It was my fault the Bananas went missing, the least I could do is come with you."

"You know, he's right," Cranky said sternly. "He's just as responsible for those bananas as you are right now. The least you could do is let him hitch a ride on your back!"

DK grumbled. On one hand, he really didn't want to bring Diddy along. If those Kremlings could knock him out easily, he was afraid of what else they could do with him. Heck, if Diddy wasn't careful, he could even get himself killed. But on the other hand, he could understand where Diddy was coming from. He knew he'd feel bad after he failed to guard the Banana Hoard, not to mention that he can't protect Diddy forever. And who knows? Maybe he had some strong points that DK had yet to see.

"All right, you win," DK said with a shrug, "But don't say I didn't warn ya!"

Diddy smiled as he climbed onto DK's back. He couldn't believe he was going to explore the island. Not only that, he could finally get to see how DK takes care of the bad guys.

"Well, I guess my job here is done," Cranky said as he began walking away. DK glared, placing his hands on his hips. "I thought you were gonna come with us!"

"Oh please," Cranky said, waving. "The circus sounds much more fun than this adventure, you two are on your own!"

DK shook his head, he looked back at Diddy. "See, if you ever wanna be a good King, don't abandon your friends! Got it?"

"Yes, DK!"

"Good!" DK turned his head and walked over to Rambi. "Heya, would you mind helpin' us look for those Kremlings?"

Rambi snorted in response, he began sniffing the ground before heading off towards the direction of the village. DK began to follow him, one thing he noticed were how many gnawties had been wandering around the village, he couldn't help but feel like the Kremlings may have something to do with it.

He walked through the village, some of the Kongs looked over at DK's direction. Some of them looked like they woul praise DK if they could. However, some of them, especially the younger Kongs, looked like they had seen the dumbest thing in the world. They had never looked at DK this way before, though it took a moment for DK to realize that they were actually looking at Diddy. He could feel his nephew ducking behind his head just to avoid their gazes.

DK sighed as he gave Diddy a reassuring pat on the head, they had a long way to go.

 

* * *

 

As the Kongs headed off to find their bananas, the rest of the Kremings were on their way to reunite with their comrades. Some of them were were sitting outside of galleon catching fish, others sat around drinking alcohol while singing shanties. Inside the captain's cabin sat a large Kremling writing inside a diary. He wore a long, red cape, and a golden crown on his head, his left eye was completely swollen. Sitting on his desk was a rattlesnake with red and green stripes, he watched curiously as the Kremling continued to write in his journal. When the Kreming realized that he was being watched, he quickly covered up his diary.

"Do you mind?" the Kremling hissed.

"I'm sssorry, your majesty," the rattesnake replied. "But are you sssure this plan will work?"

"Well you see Rattly, nothing motivates those Kongs more then food," the Kremling replied. "So if I take their Banana Hoard away, they'll HAVE to surrender to me."

"I sssee," Rattly said in an unsure tone. "Well, remember the time you tried to kill the Kongsss by killing their previous leader?"

"Well-"

"And remember when you tried to awaken the island's diety?"

"Look...it's not my fault I was a couple years off!"

"And even if you DID wake him up, things would not have ended well."

The Kremling gave the snake a bitter look. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "King K. Rool, sir? I request permission to enter the Kaptain's Kabin."

"...Permission granted," K. Rool said, resting his head in his claw. The door opened, a Kremling peered inside with Screech on his arm. "You know that parrot you gave Klump before he left? He came back with a message."

"Really?" K. Rool smiled widely as he looked at Screech. "And what do you have to say to me, my feathered friend?"

"That they other Kremlings have taken every single banana they can get their claws on," Screech replied. "They're making their way to the other side of the island as we speak."

"Was it really that easssy?" Rattly asked, "I thought DK would've been guarding those thingsss more closssely."

"That's the thing," Screech said with a smirk. "DK wasn't around at all, he let his nephew guard the Banana Hoard instead."

"THAT PATHETIC PIPSQUEAK!?" K. Rool couldn't help but laugh, "DID DK ACTUALLY THINK THAT WAS GOING TO WORK!?"

"I don't know WHAT he was thinking," Screech said with a shrug, "But hey...Works for us."

"But sssire, what if DK comesss after you?" Rattly asked, concerned.

"Then we'll let him," K. Roll said, leaning back in his chair. "If I have to kill that big ape by myself, then so be it."

"But-"

"SO BE IT, RATTLY!" K. Rool said harshly. Rattly shook his head as he slithered inside a nearby drawer, he had a bad feeling about all of this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I recall correctly, Monkey Mines was one of my least favorite parts to work on back then. This time, however, I think I can make it work.
> 
> Also, instead of the "banana rooms" that bosses are fought it, I figured the bosses would work better as "guardians" to the next area.

While K. Rool was making his way over to Donkey Kong island, DK continued to make his way through the jungle. So far, Rambi had lead him through the village, past the lake, and and past even more Gnawties. At this point, DK was very concerned with the amount of Gnawties popping up. Diddy sat on DK's shoulder, looking back while DK continued to move forward. Not only was he able to see all the Gnawties around him, but he also saw some of the footprints those Kremlings left behind. He couldn't help but wonder why so many would WANT to steal bananas in the first place.

"Say, DK?"

"What is it?" DK asked, looking back at Diddy.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?"

DK shrugged. "If I had to guess, we're probably headed over to Monkey Mines."

"Do you think we'll run into any Kremlings in there?"

"I'm sure we will," DK replied. "Besides, I don't think they've gone THAT far."

"All right, DK."

The group kept moving until they finally reached a cave. Rambi sat down next to the cave entrance, he began panting like a dog.

"Did he find something?" Diddy asked.

"Either that or he might've lost their scent," DK replied. He walked up to Rambi and began scratching his ears. "You did a great job, Rambi. Now why don't you protect the treehouse while I'm gone?"

Rambi snorted, he stood up and headed back home. DK, on the other hand, began to head inside the cave. It was dark and dingy inside. In fact, it was much darker inside than the Banana Hoard. The only lights inside the cave were given off by a few lanterns, which DK assumed were being used by Kremlings or moles. Either one was likely.

The Kongs kept moving, they could hear the sound of rushing water nearby. They eventually came across a large room. Inside the room sat a small island surrounded by wooden bridges. In the middle of the island was Krusha, who was surrounded by the Gnawties. They were all over him like a litter of puppies, As soon as he saw the Kongs, his mood instantly lit up.

"Oh hey, little guy! Did you enjoy your nap!"

"...Wha?" Diddy gave Krusha a confused look. "Have we met before?"

"Of course," Krusha replied, "I was the one who knocked you out, remember?"

"Oh...So are you the reason why Diddy was trapped in that barrel?" DK asked, crossing his arms. Krusha nodded, "Yep...the other Kremlings told me to get rid of him, so I did."

DK shook his head, he walked closer to Krusha. "Listen, buddy. I just wanna know where the rest of the Kremlings went, mind tellin' me where they are?"

"Well, they told me _NOT_ to tell you that they were gonna go through Vine Valley. Weird, huh?"

"Uh..." DK and Diddy gave each other an odd look. They were well aware of what Krusha was talking about, but why would Kremlings want to go through Vine Valley of all places?

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Krusha grabbed his little rodent friends and quickly crossed the bridge. Before DK could do the same, a larger Gnawty had come out of the water, destroying the bridge. It was roughly the same size as DK, if not bigger.

"WH-WHAT'S THAT THING, DK!?" Diddy stuttered.

"I think it's called a Very Gnawty," DK replied. "I haven't seen one since I was a kid."

Very Gnawty roared as it rammed its head into DK. It managed to knock the two Kongs into the water. Not only was DK knocked off, but it managed to knock Diddy into the water as well. The young monkey tried to swim over to a nearby log, but Very Gnawty lept onto it and broke it.

"Get away from him!" DK yelled as he threw a nearby log at Very Gnawty. While Very Gnawty was dazed, DK swam over to Diddy and brought him back onto the island. "Are you OK, Diddy?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine!" Diddy replied. He was about to climb back onto DK's shoulder before Very Gnawty dragged the big ape back into the water. At this point, Diddy wasn't sure what to do, now. He watched helplessly as the Gnawty tried to drown him. He couldn't do much, but he felt he had to do SOMETHING.

Diddy hopped onto Very Gnawty's head and pulled at its ears. While the Gnawty tried to pry Diddy off his head, DK was able to catch his breath. He punched Very Gnawty in the nose, almost knocking it out in the process. DK grabbed the Gnawty by the arm and dragged it to the other side of the room, the big ape was exhausted, he fell onto his face as soon as he got out of the water.

"You OK, Big Guy?" Diddy asked, crawling off the Gnawty's head.

"I'm all right," DK replied, sitting up. He patted Diddy on the head, "Thanks for savin' me, by the way."

"Uh...No problem," Diddy replied bashfully. He looked at Very Gnawty, who was still dazed. "Is this thing gonna be OK?"

"It should be," DK said, scratching the back of his head. He grabbed his nephew by the scruff of his neck and placed him onto his back. "C'mon, Diddy. We've gotta find more of those Kremlings."

"Yes, DK."

* * *

 

The Kongs continued to move further into the Monkey Mines. As they kept moving, they could hear talking. It was a sign that the Kremlings were still in here, somewhere.

Of course...the mines were still very nostalgic to DK. He could remember exploring the mines as a child, along with a close friend of his. However, he also remembers coming through here when the Kremlings attacked the Kongs almost a decade ago. Going through the mines again felt bittersweet, but DK wasn't going to let something like this bother him.

"You don't think we're lost, do we?" Diddy asked. DK shook his head, "I'm pretty sure we're goin' in the right direction."

"How do you know?"

"'Cause I've been through this place hundreds of times before."

"Why?"

"Because," DK said, "How else did you think we got to Treetop Town back then?"

"Well, I wouldn't know," Diddy argued, "I've never been there before!"

"But you were born there, weren't you?"

"OK, then I haven't been there in _YEARS_!"

Eventually, DK stopped walking. He hid himself behind a wall before the Kremlings could spot him. There were three of them standing near a minecart. They appeared to be talking about something, though DK wasn't sure what it was. Finally, two of them dispatched while the last one jumped in one of the minecarts, he began to take off like a kid on a rollercoster. Once DK was certain that the coast was clear, he began to walk over to the minecarts. Most of them were turned onto their side, DK grabbed one of them and set it onto the track.

"W-wait, DK!" Diddy yelled as he climbed off of his uncle's shoulder. "You're not actually gonna ride this thing, are ya!?"

"Of course," DK said, "These things are fun to ride around."

"But what if we fall out?"

"We're not gonna fall out," DK argued.

"...Are you sure?" Diddy asked, pearing over the cliff that the minecart rested on. It was so steep, he couldn't see the bottom.

"We'll be fine," DK said, grabbing Diddy by the shirt and placing him in the front of the cart. "Just think of it like goin' on a rollercoaster."

"HOW'S THAT GONNA MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!?" Diddy yelled. Before he could argue any further, DK hopped into the minecart and pushed it forward. Diddy could already feel his heart drop.

The minecart started off slow at first, but like a roller coaster, the cart began to plummet. DK was already screaming with joy. However, Diddy looked like he was about to vomit. The Kongs jumped as they began to notice some lights coming towards them. They were Kremlings, who looked like they were ready to crash into them at any moment.

"Wh-WHAT DO WE DO!?" Diddy yelled, clutching onto the sides of the cart. DK had to think fast, he grabbed onto the sides of the cart and jumped before the Kremlings rammed into them. Not only were the Kremlings confused, but Diddy was confused as well. He looked back at DK, "How'd you know that would work?"

"I didn't!" DK replied. "I just guessed!"

At this point, Diddy wasn't sure if he should be impressed or worried. The cart kept moving, it was heading into a nearby cave. Diddy ducked inside of the cart, but the cave entrance knocked DK off.

"DK!" Diddy yelled, looking behind the minecart. He was tempted to climb along the rails to find his uncle, but it was too dark to see anything. At this rate, all he could hope for was that DK would be just fine.

Eventually, the rails were too broken for the minecart to use, it landed upside-down on yet another cliff. Diddy lifted the minecart until it flopped onto its side. He had a few scrapes and bruises, but otherwise, he was fine. He walked over to the cliffs, he began calling out to his uncle.

"DK! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT!?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suprise, you guys get another chapter this week.
> 
> This one isn't very long, but I hope you guys like it nonetheless.

DK screamed as he fell into the dark cavern, he ended up landing in a giant lake. He looked around, but he couldn't see anything besides the lights above him. He froze as soon as he heard his nephew's voice echo throughout the cave.

"DK! ARE ALL RIGHT!?"

"I'M FINE!" DK yelled back. "I'LL MEET YOU AT THE EXIT, OK?"

"...OK!"

DK began swimming in the direction of Diddy's voice. If he remembered correctly, the closest exit had to lead towards Vine Valley...Or at the very least, one of the old temples. The ape kept swimming until he made it onto land. He shook his fur dry before he kept moving, he follow another path lit up by the lanterns. DK looked up, not only were there lanterns here, there were also these strange, green lamps above him. He hadn't seen these lamps before, so he had to wonder why they were there in the first place.

...But with that in mind, DK kept moving. His fur stood on end, he heard something scrambling across the floor. He looked around, all he could find was a rock. He couldn't help but wonder if he was being watched. Nonetheless, he kept moving. He stumbled upon a couple more rocks in front of him. Not thinking too much about it, he picked up one of the rocks and tossed it aside before moving on.

Once again, DK could hear something scramble across the floor. He looked back, all that was there were a couple more rocks. He hoped that Diddy was doing all right on his own, heaven forbid that the Kremlings actually go after him.

 

* * *

 

After being able to hear DK's voice, Diddy began searching for the exit on his own. The mines were very misty, but he figured he would be just fine so long as he followed the lanterns. He hadn't seen any Kremlings, so at least that was a good sign.

Diddy stopped for a moment, there were a few oil drums turned to their side. He couldn't wonder why the drums were like this. After all, wouldn't it have made more sense to stack them into a pyramid? At least that's what he would've done. He picked up one of the oil drums, only to jump as a red snake's head popped put of it.

"Do you mind?"  
  
"G-GAH!" Diddy tossed the drum aside, allowing the snake to slither away. Cranky has always told him to stay away from snakes. After all...One bite from those things, and Diddy would be a goner.

Suddenly, Diddy could feel something running into him. He panicked at first, but the culprit hopped in front of him with a confused look. It was a green frog with red spots, he was roughly Diddy's size.

"Oh, are you lost?" Diddy asked the frog. It croaked in response, blinking one eye after the other.

"...I'll take that as a yes," Diddy responded, patting the frog's head. "How 'bout we go find the exit together?"

The frog's eyes widened, like a cat wanting to catch a mouse. He crouched down and allowed Diddy to crawl onto its back.

"By the way, do you have a name?" Diddy asked. The frog looked back at him, blinking one eye over the other once again.

"...I'll just call ya 'Winky'," Diddy responded. "Now let's go, DK's probably outside already!"

Winky croaked once more as he began following the lamps, he was determined to find his way out one way or another.

 

* * *

 

As Diddy moved on, DK kept going. He followed the green lights, though he jumped every few minutes as he heard something scuttling by. Every time he tried to look at the source, all he could find were a bunch of rocks. Still, it was suspicious...Every time DK turned around, more rocks would appear. He's never had that happen to him before, he was certain the Kremlings had something to do with it.

Eventually, there were no more green lights as DK walked. The ape paused, he was filled with dread. One by one, the "rocks" began to stand, their reptilian eyes began to glow bright red. They weren't quite rocks, they were Rockrocs.

DK panicked as the Rockrocs charged after him. With nowhere else to go, DK charged back. He ran pasted the Rockrocs and continued following the lanterns. Although slightly confused, the Rockrocs began to chase after him. Some of them tried jumping onto his back, which DK managed to shake off. Other Rockrocs tried to throw each other at DK, though they didn't land very far.

DK could see something ahead of him. Not only was there a bright light, he could also see a familiar figure riding on what looked like a frog. He called out to the familiar figure, "DIDDY RUN!"

"Wha-" Diddy turned his head. He was about to call out to DK until he realized he was being chased by Kremlings. Winky began to hop faster without Diddy's input. The monkey panicked. "No, we gotta save DK!"

"SAVE YOURSELF!" DK yelled back. He kept running, but his legs were about to give in. One by one, the Rockrocs began to trample him. Diddy was nervous, he looked down at Winky. "What do we do now?"

Winky croaked, he began charging head-first into the Rockrocs. While they were dazed, DK managed to get up before he started sprinting again. Winky hopped right beside him while still keeping Diddy on his back. They were almost at the exit, they could already imagine the warm sun pouring onto their fur. Finally, the Kongs managed to escape the mine. The Rockrocs that followed them stopped before they reached the sunlight, they refused to go anywhere near it.

DK looked up at the sky. If he had to guess what time it was, it had to be around Noon. He looked down at Diddy, "You wanna take a quick break? We've been movin' around all morning."

Diddy nodded as he hopped off of Winky. "I could use one right now."

"I figured," DK replied, sitting down. "So what do you think about your first adventure, so far?"

"Uh..." Diddy glanced nervously at the mines, unsure of what to say. DK picked up on this and patted him on the back. "Adventuring's not as easy as it sounds, is it?"

"Nope," Diddy replied. "But I gotta do it anyway, y'know?"

"I feel ya," DK replied. "It's not gonna get any easier goin' forward, but we'll be fine as long as we're together."

"And hey, if we get our Bananas back, everyone will call us heroes!"

"That's the spirit," DK said, roughing up his nephew's fur. He was about to pick up Diddy again before he realized that Winky was still here. He knelt down to the frog. "Hey, do you wanna come with us?"

Winky tilted his head, he looked at the temple in the distance before backing away.

"Suit yourself," DK replied. Winky gave one final nod before taking off. The Kongs to kept moving. If they wanted to get to Vine Valley, they would have to get through that temple.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Six Chapters already? Time sure does fly, doesn't it?

The Kongs began to make their way through the temple. Over the years, the temple's walls had collapsed. All that stood amongst the ruins were old statues and columns. On top of the columns were vulture nests.

As the Kongs walked, the vultures (known as Neckies) watched. It was as if they were expecting something big to happen.

DK stopped dead in his tracks, there was a huge pit across the floor. DK had to assume it was about as big as the village back home. Above the pit sat a few arches, covered in vines. He looked back at Diddy with concern. "What do you think we should do, Little Buddy?"

"Uh...Just swing on the vines?" Diddy asked, uncertain. DK looked up at the pillars, the Neckys were all watching him like a predator waiting to catch its prey. "I dunno, these things look like they could attack at any moment."

"Then I dunno what else we should do," Diddy replied.

Looking around, there didn't seem to be much of a choice. DK grabbed onto the nearest vine and began to swing. He would swing from vine-to vine, just like any ape would when living in a jungle. But as he kept swinging, the Neckies above him began to swoop down. They tried to scratch at him with their talons, they tried to take Diddy away from him, and they even tried to knock him down. DK tried to keep moving as he avoided the Neckies at all costs. Unfortunately, one of them managed to cut the vines DK held onto. The big ape fall into the pit below him, he pulled Diddy into his arms and held onto him for dear life. The Kongs fell and fell until they landed into a stack of tires, which flew all over the pace. DK sat up, he looked down at Diddy. "You all right?"

"I-I'm fine," Diddy replied, still slightly shaken from the fall.

The Kongs heard a low growl, it was unlike anything they had ever heard before. Suddenly, wind started to pour in from inside the pit, torches began to light up inside the ruins. In front of the Kongs stood a massive Necky. He was so tall that his head could touch the outside of the pit.

"So...it looks like we've got ourselves a couple of trespassers," The Necky said bitterly. "I guess they hadn't realize that they've stumbled into Necky Territory."

Diddy looked at DK with uncertainty, the big ape stood up and walked closer to the Necky. "Look, we're not here to cause any trouble."

"Of course you are," the Master Necky said bitterly. "Why else would the so-called 'King of the Island' stumble upon this temple?"

"We were just-"

"Ah! I don't wanna hear it!" the Master Necky said, bringing one of hid feathers close to DK's face. "We've heard everything from those crocs, we know you're here just to get rid of us!"

"WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET OUR FOOD BACK!"

"ENOUGH!" The Master Necky yelled. He looked over at Diddy, the monkey backed himself against the wall. As the Master Necky lunged, Diddy leapted out of the way and jumped back onto DK's shoulder. "C'MON, LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!"

DK panicked as the Master Necky turned to face him, he opened his beak as he tried to eat him. However, DK held his beak open. With all of his strength, he threw the Master Necky aside and began heading towards the opposite side of the pit.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE," The Master Necky yelled, "GET THEM!"

Soon, the Neckies began to circle the pit. Most of them started throwing coconuts at the Kongs while others would swoop down and tackle the ape. One of them managed to ram DK against a wall. Diddy nearly flew off, he held onto DK's tie as if his life depended on it.

The Neckies cheered as Master Necky stood up. He began running towards the Kongs. DK tried to stand up, but the bruising in his arm and leg made it hard to move. Diddy began to panic, he leapt off of DK's back and began tugging at his arm. "We gotta go, DK!"

"I'm tryin," DK replied as he tried to stand up again. Diddy looked back, Master Necky was getting closer and closer.

"GAH!" Diddy screamed and he tugged at DK's tie, it was as if he were telling him to duck. Both Kongs stayed low to the ground as the Master Necky began to soar. He was so high up, he was able to block the sun from the Kongs' view. The Master Necky backflipped, he began to dive back in the pit where DK was.

DK struggled, he picked himself up and grabbed Diddy's hand before taking off again. Soon enough, Master Necky fell head-first into the pit. With his head now stuck in the ground, DK made his way over to a wall and started climbing. Diddy was one step ahead of him, he looked around just to make sure those Neckies wouldn't do anything. Once Diddy made it out of the pit, he tugged at DK's arm and helped him out of the pit. The Kongs moved further and further away from the pit, getting as far away from the Master Necky as possible. The Master Necky was able to pull its head out of the dirt. He huffed in disappointment, seeing as the Kongs were no longer there.

"YOU TWO WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Master Necky yelled, "MARK MY WORDS!"

 

* * *

 

The Kongs continued to make their way over to Vine Valley. Like Kongo Jungle, the forest was teaming with life. The Kongs have crossed paths with Gnawties, Neckies, parrots, ostriches, and even the wasps known as Zingers.

Diddy looked down as he continued to walk, he looked as if he had committed an awful crime. DK patted his shoulder to gain his attention. "What's wrong, Little Buddy?"

"...I shouldn't have said to swing over the pit."

"Hey...We made it out alive, didn't we?"

"But you're hurt!"

"It's just a couple of bruises," DK said confidently. "It's nothin' to worry about, OK?"

Diddy continued to look down, but he nodded. "OK..."

DK looked up ahead. If memory served, Treetop Town shouldn't be too far from here. He'd be able to rest up for a little while, assuming that the Kremlings haven't done anything.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Cranky was making his way over to Funky's hut. Not long after he left the village, he could already hear some loud techno music...Or at least he assumed it was techno, music these days all sounded the same to him.

Once he made it to Funky's hut, he could see that Funky was working as hard as ever. He was able to reattach one of the wings and was currently working on attaching the other wing. However, other airplane parts were scattered across the floor.

"Hey, Funky! You got a moment?" Cranky yelled. Unfortunately, Funky was unable to hear him.

"FUNKY!" Cranky yelled as he was once again ignored. The old ape groaned in annoyance, he walked over to a nearby radio and turned it off. "DO YOU HAVE A MINUTE!?"

"Oh hey," Funky said as he placed his tools down on a nearby table. "I didn't hear ya come in Cranky-dude."

"Oh, whatever!" Cranky said bitterly. "I just came here to see how the plane's been doing."

"It's goin' great, dude!" Funky said proudly. "I fixed the engine, and I just got done fixin' the wings. It should be fixed within a day or two,"

"That's a relief," Cranky said. "Because someone's gonna have to find DK as soon as he gets those bananas back."

"Yo, what happened to our bananas?" Funky asked with concern. Cranky shook his head, he wished he could've kept his mouth shut.

"To put a long story short, Diddy let those Kremlings take off with the entire Banana Hoard, so now DK's trying to get them all back.

"Huh...So what happened to Diddy?"

"I made DK bring him along," Cranky replied. "That kid's gonna have to learn his lesson whether he likes it or not."

"I see," Funky said, nodding. "Is that such a bad thing, though? Diddy has always wanted to go on an adventure with DK, and now he actually gets to go on one."

"But why does that matter? He's still in trouble!"

"Whatever floats your boat," Funky said with a shrug. "And hey, I'll bet ya they've made it all the way to Treetop Town by now."

Cranky groaned as he brought a hand to his face, "Aren't you a LITTLE concerned about the Banana Hoard?"

"It's DK, he can handle it just fine," Funky replied. Cranky shook his head, he began to leave the hut. "Whatever, I'm going to take a nap!"

As Cranky left, Funky turned his radio back on. He grabbed his tools and continued to work on the plane. He wasn't much of an adventurer, but he was determined to get his plane to work again. He couldn't wait to show it off to DK when he gets back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Try to keep an eye out for the next few chapters, because those ones were my favorite ones to work with~!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And...here we are, Treetop Town.
> 
> This is a little off-topic, but I really like the music in these levels...Especially the remixed versions in Returns and the GBA version.

After a long walk, the Kongs had finally made it into Treetop Town. Unlike the village back in Kongo Jungle, the town only stayed in the treetops connected by bridges. A lot of the inhabitants were Orangutans, though plenty of monkeys lived here as well. There was also a town square, where some of the shops were located.

DK and Diddy had finally entered town, Diddy was looking around at the new surroundings. Tall trees, big treehouses, and best of all, no dirty looks from the other Kongs. He would certainly live out here if he could.

"So, do you remember this place at all?" DK asked before Diddy shook his head. "How am I s'posed to remember this place if I haven't been here in years?"

DK responded with a shrug. "Either way, we're here now. I'll bet Candy's still hangin' around this place."

"Wait, she's still here?"

"Yep...she said she was gonna go home sometime this week, though."

"Huh..."

The Kongs stopped dead in their tracks as they stumbled upon a small cafe. Sitting at the cafe were three Kremlings. They didn't appear to be dangerous. Instead, they were joking around and laughing. One of them even had a smoothie in his hand.

"So the Kremlings walks up to the bartender, right? Then the bartender says 'why the long face'?"

The Kremlings continued to laugh, one of them pounded his fist against the table. DK walked up to the Kremlings, he placed a hand on one of the chairs. "Excuse me-"

"G-GAH!" The Kremling yelled as he jumped out of the chair, the other two Kremlings just stared at the big ape in front of them. "WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING, PLEASE DON'T-"

"Whoa, take it easy," DK said, trying to calm the Kremling down. "I'm not gonna hurt ya, OK?"

The Kremling kept his distance, he raised an eyebrow. "Right, and how do I know that you won't feed me to that vulcano up there?"

DK tilted his head. "...I don't know what your island's diety is like, but ours doesn't take sacrifices."

"Oh, thank heavens!" The Kremling said in relief. "I thought you were just a mindless beast."

"He may be mindless, but he's not a beast," Diddy remarked before earning a stern look from his uncle. "ANYWAY, I was wondering if you guys knew where the rest of the Kremlings went."

"I think they said they were goin' to Gorilla Glacier," The Kremling replied. "I don't know what kind of reptile would WANT to go up there, so we broke away from the group and stayed down here."

"I'll bet they don't even know where we are right now," the other Kremling said with a chuckle.

"Right, well...Don't go causing any trouble, all right?"

"Yeah yeah," The Kremling said as he sat back down with the rest of the Kremlings. DK gestured for Diddy to follow him as they moved away from the Kremlings.

"So I guess we're gonna have to set out for Gorilla Glacier," DK said with a puzzled look.

"What's that place like," Diddy asked. DK shrugged, "No idea. But hey, I'm sure we'll make it outta there just fine."

Diddy nodded, though he wasn't sure about how true that statement was. Eventually, the duo stopped in front of a small hut. The hut had a pink curtain where the door should be, next to the hut sat some-sort of booth with a barrel behind it. Diddy noticed the barrel had white stars painted onto it.

DK walked over to the hut and knocked next to the curtain. "Candy, are you still there?"

"DK?" asked a feminine voice, "I'll be out in a minute."

DK shrugged as he leaned against the barrel. Diddy sat down next to him, crossing his legs in a way one would find painful, though hardly had an issue with it himself. The duo waited and waited until a Kong's head popped out of the curtains. She had shoulder-length hair, a bow was sitting on top of her head. Many Kongs would say she's the most beautiful Kong on the island, including DK himself.

"You came over just in time," Candy said, "I was just getting ready to head back to Kongo Jungle."

"Already?" DK asked, "I thought you wouldn't be done here for a few more days."

"Yeah, well...Nobody's really interested in learning how to dance, so I figured I'd go back home," Candy said with a deep sigh. "If worse comes to worse, I'll have to go work with Swanky and his sideshow again."

"Well if it's money you want, why don't you just marry me?" DK teased before Candy jabbed his arm. "You don't have any money, either!"

"We could steal it from Cranky!"

"Oh please, he'd find out before we even break into his cabin!"

Diddy watched as his uncle and his would-be aunt kept teasing each other. He's heard from others that romance was all about flowers and chocolate and junk, and yet DK and Candy always acted like really close friends. Was this what it was like to have a girlfriend? Either way, he wasn't too sure.

"So what brings you guys up here, DK?" Candy asked.

"It's a long story," DK replied as he rubbed the back of his head. "All you need to know is that the Kremlings stole our bananas last night, we've been tryin' to get them back ever since."

"But wait, weren't you supposed to be guarding the Banana Hoard?" Candy asked suspicuously. Diddy was about to speak up when DK quickly covered his mouth. "I WAS guarding it, but those Kremlings got me good last night. Diddy had to wake me up and tell me what was goin' on before we could head out."

"I see..." Candy was skeptical, she crossed her arms. "So I'm guessing that you guys are heading up to Gorilla Glacier, right?"

"Yeah," DK replied. "I wanted to know if you had anything we could use before we head up there."

Candy placed a hand under her chin, she had to think for a moment. "I might have something you could use, do you wanna take a look?"

"Sure thing," DK said as he began following Candy inside. A few seconds passed, DK peaked his head out from behind the curtain. "You comin' in, Little Buddy?"

Diddy shook his head. "I'll just wait out here, OK?"

"Suit yourself," DK said as he had gone back inside. Diddy sat quietly as he began to pick dirt out of his fur. It was an odd habit of his, but at least it kept him occupied. A few more moments had quietly gone by, Diddy looked up as he heard someone walking by him. It looked like an Orangutan, he was wearing a long, green cloak. He walked as if someone had badly injured him, it took him a moment before he collapsed onto the ground.

"Oh gees!" Diddy yelled as he ran over to the Orangutan and helped him stand. "Are you OK, buddy?"

"Oh, I'm all right," said the Orangutan. "Why don't you just run along, kid?"

"But you're limpin' pretty badly," Diddy replied. "If you want, I could go get DK and-"

"You know DK?" asked the Orangutan. Diddy tilted his head, "Yeah, why?"

"I was just curious," said the Orangutan. "You see, DK and I go a long way back. He used to hang around my place and cause trouble with that filthy rhino of his."

"Really? Because he never told me about that before."

"And how do YOU know DK?"

"He's my uncle."

"HE IS!?" The Orangutan asked, suprised. "But...wouldn't that make him-"

"A monkey's uncle?" Diddy said, bitterly. "I haven't heard THAT before."

"Right, well...How about helping me get back home?" asked the Orangutan. "I'm sure if I keep going, I'm just gonna fall over."

"But where IS your home?" Diddy asked.

"It's, uh...It's a little while away from Treetop Town, have you ever been to the lake?"

Diddy shook his head, the Orangutan chuckled. "No matter, I'll let you know which way we're goin'."

"Uh...OK."

Diddy looked back at the hut before leaving. He hoped that finding the lake wouldn't take too long. If everything goes well, he would be able to return before DK even notices he was gone.

* * *

 

As Diddy left to help the Orangutan, DK stayed with Candy as she packed something for Gorilla Glacier. It was a large, traveling backpack with a blanket and some food stuffed inside.

"There we go," Candy said as she handed DK the backpack. "These should help you guys survive while you're up there."

"Thanks, Candy," DK said as he threw the backpack onto his back. "But what about you? You can't take Funky's airplane back or anything, not to mention what Diddy and I had gone through."

"I'll be fine," Candy replied. "Besides, it's not like I haven't taken care of myself, before."

"Right, well...Could you let Cranky know where we've gotten to this point? I'm sure he'd like to know we're still alive."

"Knowing Cranky, he's probably not going to be all that impressed," Candy replied. "But I'll let him know."

"All righty, then."

DK and Candy walked out of the hut and hugged each other before parting ways. It was nice being able to see Candy again, even if it was for a small moment.

DK turned around to look at Diddy...except Diddy was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd he run off to?" DK wondered out loud. Knowing Diddy, he couldn't have wandered off too far. Maybe one of those Kremlings saw him somewhere?

There was only one way for him to find out, DK went back to the cafe. The Kremlings were still there. However, one of them was asleep while the other two were talking to each other. They looked slightly suprised when they noticed DK walking up to him, though they weren't as frightened as they were before.

"Whaddaya doin' back here?" asked one of the Kremlings. "Are you lost or somethin'?"

"How's a King gonna get lost in his OWN ISLAND?" asked the other Kremling.

"Guys, now's not the time for this," DK said. "I'm just here to ask if you've seen my nephew anywhere."

"You mean the little guy?" The Kremling asked, "We haven't seen him."

"But we DID see this dirty-looking orangutan earlier," said the other Kremling.

"What was he like?" DK asked with a hint of concern in his voice. Let's see...He was wearing a cloak, I'm guessin' he didn't want any of the other Kongs to look at his face."

"I remember he had a beard."

"And that he smelled like fish."

"Not to mention those ugly teeth!"

"That guy could give K. Rool a run for his money."

DK was panicking, he ran off without saying a word. One of the Kremlings tilted his head, "HEY, WHERE YA GOIN'!?"

"Ah, leave him be," said the other Kremling. "It's none of our business."

The Kremling shrugged. If DK was THIS aggitated, it was probably best not to get involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey...Didn't DK say something about an Orangutan earlier?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, is this going to be a fun one.
> 
> All I can say is...Poor Diddy.

Diddy was traveling for quite a while with this stranger. From the looks of it, he wouldn't be able to get back to DK on time. On the plus side, Diddy was certain his uncle would pleased to hear about him helping someone out.

"So tell me, Diddy," said the Orangutan. "What's it like having to live with the King of the Island."

"It's all right, I guess," Diddy replied. "DK just started having me go through training, I thought I was doin' OK until those Kremlings showed up."

The Orangutan nodded, he placed a hand under his chin. "Right, well...why would DK want to train you? He's your guardian, isn't he?"

"He is, but he's also told me that Tiki Tong chose me to become the next king."

"A KING!?" The Orangutan gasped, "So YOU'LL be the one taking over the island, then?"

Diddy shrugged. "I think I'm supposed to, but everyone else thinks that Tiki Tong made a mistake when he chose me. I'm starting to think they're right."

"Well, maybe they ARE right," The Orangutan said while patting Diddy's shoulder. "I mean, what does that old hunk of wood know, anyway? He probably chose you just so he could make it easier on himself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when Tiki Tong wake up from his 1,000 year nap, he'll challenge the King to see if he can take the island back from him. And if YOU'RE the king, there's a good chance that he'll squish you like a bug. Does THAT sound fair to you?"

Diddy went completely silent, he had never actually thought of it that way. If this island's diety thought of him as weak, then what good would it do him if he actually DID become a king, was there even an option to back out of it?

"...You know what? Forget I said anything," said the Orangutan. "For all I know, the big guy probably won't wake up for another hundred years."

"Yeah...probably."

The duo finally made it over to the lake. There were several small huts and five different orangutans. The troop looked at the duo, they didn't look very nice. Two of them had what looked like battle scars, another one had patches of fur missing.

"Is this where you actually live?" Diddy asked the Orangutan, who chuckled with glee. "Of course, these guys are the best orangutans anyone's ever asked for."

Suddenly, the Orangutan stood up straight and walked normally, he threw the cloak off of him. "Tell me, Diddy...Has your uncle ever told you about the time I stole the Banana Hoard?"

"...What?" Diddy tilted his head, confused. He recalled DK saying something about an orangutan, but he wasn't sure about what he was talking about. The Orangutan shook his head impatiently, he crossed his long arms together.

"How about this," he said, "Has your uncle ever told you about the time he got kidnapped?"

Diddy's eyes widened upon realization, he started to back away slowly. "You're THAT orangutan!?"

"Please, call me Manky," the Orangutan said in a formal tone. "And it was nice talking to you, Diddy...But now I think we should wait for DK to show up, don't you think?"

Before Diddy could react, one of the orangutans grabbed onto his waist. He tried to struggle as much as he could, but the orangutan threw him into a large barrel before sealing it shut. It was larger than the other barrel he woke up in, but the bottom was covered in rocks. He tried to push the lid off, but he couldn't do a thing. He leaned against the barrel's side as the orangutans outside laughed and hollered. But as far as Diddy was concerned, he might never get to see DK again.

* * *

 

Ever since he left Treetop Town, DK had been keeping an eye out for Diddy. He had hoped that filthy orangutan wouldn't be around, but unfortunately, he was wrong.

He swung from one vine to the next, he wasn't paying too much attention to the Zingers flying by him. He was more concerned about getting Diddy back. And if Manky ever lays a FINGER on him, he wouldn't hesitate to pound him to a pulp.

The sun was going down, DK could feel his heart racing. Up ahead, he could see a lake. Along the side of the lake was what looked like torches. DK rushed over to the lake. There, he could see the group of orangutans, along with Manky Kong sitting next to a large barrel. The big ape stopped on a nearby cliff. He roared loudly as he beat his chest, he made his presence known to the group below him. Most of the troop turned their heads with fear in their eyes. However, Manky didn't budge.

"Is that you DK?" Manky asked with a smug expression. "Last time I saw you, you were just a crybaby calling out to your dad."

"ENOUGH!" DK yelled as he jumped off the cliff and landed on all fours. He walked over to Manky, his teeth were still showing. "NOW WHERE'S DIDDY!"

As if on cue, Diddy began to knock from inside the barrel. The voice was muffled, but DK could tell it was his nephew calling out to him. Manky chuckled, he sat up and lifted the barrel over his head. "You know...I COULD give him back, but I think it'd be easier if I threw him into the lake, instead."

"YOU WOULDN'T!" DK yelled.

"Oh Yes I would," Manky said with a smirk. "Unless, of course...You step down and let ME take over the island."

DK trembled in anger, he charged towards Manky before even thinking.

"Oh my, is THIS how you're going to treat an old friend?" Manky asked as he hopped out of DK's way. "I'm beginning to think that you don't want your nephew back after all."

"SHUT UP!" DK yelled as he ran after Manky, again. Before he could even lay a finger on him, the other Orangutans jumped onto his back and pinned him down. Manky looked down at DK as he impatiently tapped his foot.

"So...will you let me take over the island, now?" Manky asked as DK struggled to move.

"I'd rather lose my ties then to let YOU become a king." DK grumbled.

"Very well, then...If you want your nephew back..." Manky spun around before throwing the barrel about a mile into the lake, "...then I suggest you go get him!"

DK scrambled to get back onto his feet, he pushed the other Orangutans off his back before heading into the water. As the Orangutans laughed, Manky shook his head. He began to shout as the big ape dived into the water.

"I FORGOT TO MENTION THE SHARKS, I HOPE THAT'S NOT TOO MUCH OF A PROBLEM!"

* * *

 

DK dived deeper and deeper into the water, he could barely see the barrel ahead of him. He couldn't imagine how scared Diddy must have been once the barrel hit the water.

The ape made it over to the barrel, which sank on top of one of the fish. Unlike most of the other fish, this one was a bright blue color with a long bill protruding from its face. DK grabbed onto the barrel and lifted it under his arm, freeing the fish in the process. He was about to move on when he noticed a bunch of sharks swimming above him, he nearby lost his breath. The sword fish allowed DK to grab onto its dorsal fin, it charged through the sharks and leapt out of the water. There, DK was able to catch his breath before the fish dived back in. Some of the sharks would try to swim into the fish, but it would swim past them like a speeding torpedo. All this swimming was making DK feel nauseated, but he held on regardless.

Once there were no more sharks, the Swordfish began to slow down. DK took a deep breath before the fish dived down. As it moved, he was able to see some of the corals and jellyfish that had settled here. He wished he could bring Diddy out here to see it, but between holding onto the swordfish and holding onto the barrel, there wasn't much he could do. Perhaps when the Kremlings were gone, he could bring Diddy back out here to look at the reef...That is, as long as Manky isn't around to harm him again.

Soon, the Swordfish brought DK to the other side of the lake. He carried the barrel over his shoulder as he walked back onto land. He waved good-bye as the swordfish swam off, he had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time they see each other. With that adventure out of the way, DK placed the barrel onto the ground and tore the lid off.

"GAH!" Diddy gasped as he jumped out out of the barrel. There was hardly any water inside, yet the young monkey looked like he was coughing up a lung.

"Are you OK, Little Buddy?" DK asked as he patted Diddy's back. It took Diddy a moment before he could actually speak. "I-I'm fine."

"That's good," DK replied. He looked up at where they was supposed to go, a huge Zinger's nest sat at the base of Gorilla Glacier. It was too wide for the Kongs to go around it, their only choice was to go through it.

DK picked Diddy up and placed him back onto his shoulder. If they were lucky, the Zingers wouldn't have a problem with them passing through.

* * *

 

As the Kongs moved forward, the Kremling's galleon continued to sail through the ocean. Most of the Kremlings were sleeping below the deck, with one single Kremling still driving the galleon. The only other Kremling that was still awake was King K. Rool, he started to look a little restless. He stood up from his chair and began pacing around in his cabin. He was so bored, it was literally driving him crazy.

Rattly peaked his head from inside of the desk drawer, he had a weary look on his face. "Isss sssomething wrong, sssire?"

"What do you think?" K. Rool asked, bitterly. "We've been out for one whole day and yet we're not even close to the island!"

"Well, perhapsss it would've been better if you had gone over there with Klump?"

"If I did that, then where else are we supposed to put the Bananas? Besides, Klump's ship was already too crowded for me."

Rattly groaned, he would put a hand over his face if he could. "You know, thisss recklesssnesss isss going to be your downfall, one of thessse days."

"Well if you don't like how I run things, then why don't you go live with the Kongs?" K. Rool asked in a snarky tone. "Not that it matters, since I'll be taking over that island anyway!"

Rattly rolled his eyes as he went back into the drawer. He could never understand how he could put up with such a careless king. Perhaps he COULD start living with the Kongs. But of course, he wasn't exactly an aquatic snake, so there wasn't much that he could do.

K. Rool walked outside of the Captain's cabin, it looked like he was just going to pace around some more. Rattly sighed in relief, he was getting tired of dealing with him.

"You're not actually thinking of betraying the King, are you?"

Rattly's head popped out of drawer again, he could see Screech sitting on a nearby coat hanger.

"What makes you say that?" Rattly asked.

"Oh, come on! It's written all over your face!" Screech replied. "I know you want to turn on him, you're just too much of a coward to actually do it!"

Rattly huffed, "At least I'm not the one kissing up to K. Rool all the time!"

"Well? He loves it," Screech said with a shrug. "And hey, if DK's careless enough to have his nephew guard the Banana Hoard, I highly doubt he'll ever listen to you!"

Once again, Rattly huffed. He slinked out of the drawer and into a nearby grate. He didn't even know why he bothered with these guys, he just wanted to go back home and see his best friend again. But with how everything else was going, it didn't look like it would happen anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but I really like the idea of Manky being a complete ass for some reason.
> 
> Next up should be Gorilla Glacier...which I'd say was my absolute favorite part to write back then.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recall that the Gorilla Glacier segment was my favorite one to write.
> 
> After the whole thing that happened with Manky, I figured I'd do something different for Queen B. Besides, it gets tiring having to do nothing but fight scenes.

The Kongs headed inside the Zingers' nest, they could see the wasps settling down in their cells for the night. Most of them payed no mind to the Kongs walking in. However, the Zinger's Queen instantly took notice. She flew down to DK's level while keeping a firm demeanor.

"Now...what business does the King of this island have at a time like this?"

"We don't mean to barge in on ya," DK replied. "We're just tryin' to get to Gorilla Glacier."

"At this hour?" asked the Queen, "Shouldn't you be resting back in Treetop Town.

"I almost got killed by a bunch of crazy Orangutans," Diddy said bitterly. "It's not like we've got a choice here, lady!"

The queen glared at Diddy, her antennae twitched in annoyance. "Is this any way to treat Royalty?"

"Go easy on him," DK said, "He was just thrown into a lake."

"Very well," The Queen said, crossing her arms. "But I'd appreciate it if you called me Queen B from now on, got it?"

"...Yes, Ma'am," Diddy said as he tried to duck behind DK's head. The big ape sighed "Look, We need to get our bananas back before those Kremlings go back to their island, the least you could do is let us pass."

Queen B rubbed her chin, she had a thoughtful look on her face. "I COULD let you pass, but I feel like there's something that monkey on your back could for me."

"Then what is it?" DK asked suspiciously. Queen B sighed. "You see...when those crocodiles came through here, they left a few...pests here as well. They've been trying to eat our larvae, and I'd appreciate it if your little friend took care of them. After all, he appears to be small enough to get through our cells."

DK looked up at Diddy with an uncertain expression. "Whaddaya say, Diddy? Do you wanna help her out?"

"Uh...Sure?"

Diddy hopped off of DK's back and looked up at Queen B, his tail hit the ground.

"Run along now, little one!" Queen B said sternly, "I want to see those pests gone by the time you get back!"

Diddy began to make his way through the nest, most of the Zingers have already settled in at this point. What was he even looking for, anyway? snakes? mice?

"Woof! Woof!"

Diddy stopped dead in his tracks, just now he thought he might've heard a rhino. That couldn't be the intruder, could it?" Diddy crawled into one of the empty cells, only to find that a group of smaller Kremlings have been hiding inside. What confused him the most was the fact that they not only sounded like rhinos, they walked like rhinos as well. One of them had a larva on its back. Diddy ran after the Kremling and grabbed the Larva. However, the Kremlings looked back at Diddy with a playful look.

"Uh...Nice Kremlings," Diddy said as he tried to back away from them. One of them barked while the other tried to grab at his tail with its jaws. Diddy panicked, he crawled under the cell while keeping the larva tucked under his arm. He also kept his tail close, as the Kremlings kept trying to bite it. As soon as he got out, he began to run towards DK's direction.

Diddy ran behind DK, the big ape picked up a nearby rock and threw it towards the exit. Upon seeing the rock, the Kremlings mindlessly chased it outside, they finally left the nest.

"Excellent work, young one," Queen B said as she took the larva out of Diddy's hands. "Now all we need to do is patch up that cell."

"So, uh...Can you let us go?" DK asked, scratching the back of his head. Queen B's antennae twitched. "Of course, there is just one more thing I must warn you about."

"And what would that be...?"

"I hear that there's a Really Gnawty that lives up there," Queen B replied. "It's been thriving off the Tikis up ahead, and I'm sure it won't hesitate to destroy you two."

"All righty, then," DK said as he grabbed Diddy's hand. "Good luck with your kingdom, ma'am!"

"Farewell, you two."

Once the Kongs left the Zingers' Nest, they began to head towards Gorilla Glacier. Diddy looked up at the mountain ahead of them. He's been around snow before. In fact, Timber's Island was covered in Snow during the winter time, but he never thought he'd have to go through it on his own island.

"Are you sure we'll be all right up there?" Diddy asked.

"Of course," DK replied. "Just stick with me and we'll be just fine."

Diddy nodded, though that hardly made him feel any better. He just couldn't imagine what a mountain of snow would feel like. Either way, there wasn't much of a choice.

* * *

 

The Kongs have been traveling for a while now. As they traveled, the green scenery began to change to a dull, brown color. Although they couldn't see any Kremlings, they were able to follow their footsteps until it began to snow. The higher the Kongs climbed, the more the snow began to fall. Occasionally, DK would have something looking at his direction. Sometimes it was a Tiki, other times it would be a Gnawty or a Necky. They were curious, but they didn't appear to be dangerous.

The wind blew harder, DK was struggling to get through the snow. He could no longer feels his toes, it was impossible to shake the snow off his fur. He wouldn't even be in this mess if Manky hadn't tried to kill Diddy back at that lake. He looked down at his nephew to make sure he was keeping up. But from what he could tell, Diddy was almost at his limit. He resisted the urge to walk on all fours like DK, yet the snow was so deep that it went up to his chest. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore and collapsed face-first into the snow.

"Ah, gees!" DK yelled. He pulled the blanket from out of his backpack and wrapped it around Diddy, he was shaking violently.

"I'll take it from here, Little Buddy," DK said as he kept trudging through the snow. Diddy nodded, though he was barely conscious at this point. DK kept moving, he could feel snow cut through him like a billion tiny razor blades. He wondered how so many Kremlings were able to get through here without freezing to death, it was a complete mystery.

DK winced as the snow storm got worse, he curled up just to shield Diddy from the cold weather. He wasn't sure if they were going to make it out alive, especially in a bad snow storm like this. At this rate, he may as well freeze to death.

...DK began to hear a drum. When he looked up, there was a Tiki staring at him. It resembled a small drum with feathers sticking out of its head.

"Wh-what are you doin'?" DK asked with concern, "Don't you know you're gonna freeze out here?"

The Tiki didn't seem to care, it moved a couple feet before turning back towards DK and producing a drumming sound.

"Oh...you want me to follow you?" DK asked before the tiki drummed in response. He began to follow it, all while trying to ignore the wind blowing into his direction. Every once in a while, the tiki would stop to see if DK was still following it. Eventually, it stopped in front of a cave. DK began to head inside, he noticed some of the other Tikis hiding behind different rocks, they examined the ape from afar. DK noticed how colorful the cave looked. The walls around him consisted of pink and purple hues, it reminded him of a sunset in a way. There were also plenty of large crystals here, most of them were probably the size of DK's treehouse. Although the jungle did have tikits here and there, this place was full of them. It was like he stumbled upon a small town of some sort.

"Hm..."

DK noticed that Diddy began to shift, he looked down at the small monkey with concern. "You OK, Little Buddy?"

Diddy nodded, he stayed curled up in DK's arm. As the duo kept moving, they began to notice the cave getting warmer and warmer. Eventually, DK came across a large room. He could see the exit on the other side. Inside the room was a small pool of lava, there were nine statues surrounding the lava as well as one big statue in the center of it. DK had a good idea as to what they were all supposed to be.

"What ARE those things?" Diddy asked curiously.

"If I had to guess...They were probably the leaders of the Tiki Tak Tribe at some point," DK suggested. "And the one in the middle is probably Tiki Tong."

"You think so?" Diddy asked. DK nodded. "One of the temples back home has these statues, but I never thought I'd find these here...Then again, he's supposed to be sleeping in this mountain, ain't he?"

"I guess that makes sense."

"Hehe..." "DK couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll bet he's lookin' forward to watching you become a King, right Little Buddy?"

"...That's great, DK," Diddy said bitterly. The big ape tilted his head, he walked over to the wall and sat down. "What's wrong, Diddy?"

"...Do you think Tiki Tong made a mistake when he chose me?"

"No!" DK said, furrowing his brow. "Why would you say something like that?"

"That's what everyone else believes," Diddy replied. "Not to mention that we wouldn't be here right now if I had taken down those Kremlings."

DK was stunned, he never thought he'd hear something coming from his nephew's mouth. "Of course you're the next king, Tiki Tong told me himself!

"Well, then...what if he chose me just so he could take over the island?"

"Who gave you that idea!?"

"Manky did," Diddy replied. "And for all I know, he could be right. It was my fault those Kremlings took off with our bananas, but if I can't get 'em back, then what's the point of me becoming a king to begin with?"

"All right, that's enough!" DK yelled, causing Diddy to jump. "What do you-"

"None of this was your fault," DK argued. "None of us knew that the Kremlings were gonna come over and take our bananas, If I had known what was gonna happen, I wouldn't have let you guard the Banana Hoard in the first place."

"But what about Master Necky?" Diddy asked, "And about Manky-"

"Forget about those guys," DK replied. "You were the one that got us outta Master Necky's temple, not to mention what happened with Very Gnawty."

"But-"

"No buts," DK argued. "You've been a great traveling buddy, and I know you're gonna make a great king. So don't worry about all that anymore, OK?"

"...OK."

A little more time had passed, both Kongs started to fall asleep. Although their adventure was far from over, they had plenty of time to rest. And although they were far away from their beds, they had the best sleep that they've ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was a fun one.
> 
> And on an entirely different note, I'm really happy about K. Rool making it into Smash. I'm still hoping that Dixie can make it in too. And if not, I could always turn her into a Mii Fighter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, some foreshadowing!

...Diddy couldn't tell where he was. First thing he knew, he was sleeping in DK's arms. Next thing he knew, he was in in some-sort of misty swamp. He couldn't tell where he was, nor how he got here.

"Well, well...If it isn't Diddy Kong."

Diddy jumped in response, he looked around to see if anyone was there. That voice didn't sound like anyone he knew, so why was he hearing it all of a sudden?

"I know you're confused, but there is something I must warn you about."

"B-but why?" Diddy asked, "And how do you know my name?"

"That is not important," said the voice. "What I MUST warn you about is your next adventure."

"You mean there's more?" Diddy asked.

"Indeed," said the voice. "Your next adventure will not be an easy one. In fact, many will even try to kill you."

"S-so what should I do?"

The voice went silent for a moment, Diddy felt like he was going to panic before the voice talked again.

"That...is something you'll have to figure out on your own."

"Then what's the point of warning me?"

"All I can tell you is that DK's life rests in your hands."

"W-what!?"

Before Diddy could say anymore, he heard a sinister laugh coming from somewhere. In that instant, he could feel a cannonball go right through his chest.

* * *

 

Diddy gasped for air as he woke up, he felt around his chest to see if he was still alive. Thankfully, he was...But he couldn't help but wonder what that dream was about. He crawled out of DK's arms and made his way over to the pool of lava. He looked at the Tiki Tong statue with an intense look.

"Were you the one talkin' to me?"

Of course, he didn't expect to hear the voice he heard in that dream. But he wondered what they meant when they said DK's life rested in his hands. Diddy wasn't exactly a hero, plus DK can take care of himself just fine. So why ask him to guard DK's life?"

Speaking of which, DK began to wake up, he stretched his arms before scratching his armpit. He looked around confusingly before looking over at Diddy. "Well, aren't you up early."

"Hehe..." Diddy smiled sheepishly, "Y-yeah, of course."

DK put his backpack down, he pulled out an orange. "Anyway, we should probably eat up before we do anything."

"Right," Diddy said as he grabbed a couple peanuts from the bag and started eating them...including the shells.

"...Say, DK?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't happen to have any weird dreams last night, did you?"

DK shook his head. "All I can remember was a huge pile of bananas."

"Huh..." Diddy scratched his head. "Did you hear any weird voices at all?"

"No, did you?"

Diddy nodded. "He was tryin' to warn me about something, I dunno what though."

"Well, maybe it's just Tiki Tong tryin' to help ya out?"

"With what, exactly?"

"I dunno, but it sounds important."

Diddy looked up at the Tiki Tong statue. He wasn't sure if he should bring up the part about guarding DK's life, but it was probably best to keep quiet about it for now. After all, DK can take care of himself.

* * *

 

The Kongs headed outside of the cave, the sun was finally out. Since they no longer had to worry about the snow, they began to head out.

DK looked ahead of himself, he could see smoke in the distance. He knew it couldn't have been the mountain itself, so he had to assume the Kremlings had something to do with it. A little further ahead, and the Kongs could see a village. This wasn't where the smoke was coming from, but it was interesting to look at nonetheless. DK slid down the slope to reach the village. He was followed by Diddy, who sounded like he was having fun as he slid down.

"What is this place, DK?"

"I dunno, but I don't think anyone else is out here."

As far as DK could tell, the houses were all worn down from years of neglect. The windows were broken, the doors were frozen shut. DK wasn't sure about whether this place belonged to the Kongs or the Tikis at some point.

The duo eventually stumbled upon a pair of birds. One of them was an ostrich with shoes on his feet.The other bird happened to be Squawks, who was sitting on the Ostrich's back.

"Where have you guys been?" DK asked curiously.

"Well you see, Expresso and I were trying to get those bananas back from the Kremlings," Squawks explained. "To put a long story short, they stuffed me in a box and Expresso had to bust it open."

"So is that why you two are out here?" DK asked. Squawks nodded, "We've also been trying to stay away from one of the Gnawties. He's been chasing us all day."

"Why can't you guys just knock him out?" DK asked before Diddy came to a realization. "Wait, didn't Queen B say something about a Gnawty before we headed up here?"

"...Oh yeah."

The group froze as they heard a loud roar somewhere. Squawks flew off of Expresso's back and landed onto DK's head. "At any rate, we've gotta get moving!"

DK nodded as he climbed onto Expresso's back. He brought Diddy onto the ostrich's neck before the group moved on. Diddy tilted his head, he gave Expresso a confused look. "Is he all right carrying us all like this?"

"Of course," Squawks replied. "Expresso's the strongest bird I know out here!"

Expresso bobbed his head proudly as if he were acknowledging this fact. The ostrich nearly tripped as he heard another roar, this time it was nearby. The Kongs looked back, they could see a massive Gnawty chasing after them. It was twice the size of Very Gnawty, not to mention its fur was darker.

"STEP ON IT, EXPRESSO!" Squawks yelled as Expresso tried to flap his wings. He climbed onto boulder and jumped onto a nearby roof. He leapt from house to house in order to keep away from Really Gnawty, but the beastly beaver didn't care. It ran through the buildings like they were nothing.

"WHAT NOW, DK!?" Diddy asked while holding Expresso for dear life.

"We've gotta knock that thing out, somehow!" DK replied. "Problem is, I don't know how I'm gonna be able to do that."

"Can't you just punch him in the nose like that Very Gnawty back in the mines!?"

"Are you kidding!? That thing could crush me if it wanted to!"

Diddy groaned, he had to think of a way to get rid of that thing. After all, if DK can't do anything, then Diddy would have to think of something. He thought of getting that thing to run into a wall. It was crazy, but somebody had to do it. He jumped off Expresso's neck and ran towards the Gnawty. DK nearly had a heart attack, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"JUST TRUST ME!" Diddy yelled back as he jumped off the house and stood in front of the Gnawty. He began to wave his arms. "HEY, I BET YOU CAN'T GET ME!"

Really Gnawty turned his head to look at Diddy, the young monkey ran as soon as he was spotted. DK was panicking, he turned Expresso around and began chasing the Gnawty as well. He wasn't going to let Diddy endanger himself like that.

Diddy kept running, he would occasionally turn his back to see if Really Gnawty was still chasing him. Eventually, Diddy made his way to an icy wall. He turned around and waited for Really Gnawty to get close. When the Gnawty lunged, Diddy jumped out of the way. The snow that sat on the wall fell off, it fell on top of the Gnawty as well as Diddy.

"NO!" DK yelled as he jumped off of Expresso's back. He began to dig around through the snow. While Really Gnawty's head was still present, Diddy was completely buried under the snow. Fortunately, it didn't take long for DK to find his nephew...Who was still dazed from from all the snow falling onto him.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" DK yelled out of concern as he grabbed his nephew's shoulders. "You know you could've gotten yourself killed because of that thing!"

"I know that!" Diddy replied.

"THEN WHY'D YOU DO IT!"

"Because I had to do SOMETHING," Diddy said as he looked away while rubbing his arm. "I know it was stupid. But if I hadn't done anything, that thing would still be chasin' us down."

DK was awestruck. Despite all the stuff Diddy had said about himself in that cave, he has really proven himself to be much stronger then the other Kongs give him credit for. Heck, even DK didn't think too much about his nephew. While he didn't have the muscles, Diddy was certainly shaping up to being a great ally.

"Say, Squawks? Do you have any idea where the Kremlings went?" DK asked.

"Of course, they headed off to the old factory." Squawks said. "I think they said something about getting supplies there, I think they're gonna find an easier way to carry those Bananas over to their ship."

"Maybe that's where that smoke's coming from," Diddy said while tugging DK's arm.

"If that's the case, then I hope Expresso won't mind taking us down the mountain."

"And what about me?" Squawks asked.

"You should go find Candy," DK replied. "I'll bet she's made it back home by now."

"You got it," Squawks said as he began to fly off. "Hopefully I'll be able to see you guys back home!"

DK waved good bye before climbing back onto Expresso's back. He placed Diddy back onto Expresso's neck before the group headed down the mountain. DK couldn't help but smile, he couldn't wait to teach those Kremlings a lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was a fun chapter.
> 
> And hey, it's not like DKC got famous enough to have a sequel involving pirates or anything...Nope, not at all!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I'll admit that Kremkroc Industries and Chimp Caverns are an awkward areas for me to adapt. One reason for that being Dumb Drum, which is basically just a battle royale with a bunch of different enemies. The other reason is that besides the factory levels, all that's left are the cave levels (Not to mention that Chimp Caverns is basically a harder version of Monkey Mines)
> 
> So long story short, I figured I'd make it easier on myself by combining the two areas. In other news, we've got around 3 chapters left until we're done.

As the Kongs made their way down the mountain, they began to notice how quickly the scenery changed. Instead of being surrounded by snow, they were now surrounded by dead trees. There was no grass and no animals, the air started to smell like burnt rubber. Eventually, the Kongs were able to spot the factory sitting in the distance.

"How do you think we're gonna get those Kremlings outta there?" Diddy asked.

"Beats me," DK replied. "But if we're lucky, I'll bet we'll be able to take down whoever's in charge before they're finished."

"Yeah...maybe."

Expresso stopped in front of the factory, he allowed the Kongs to get off his back before taking off on his own. DK walked over to the window and peaked inside, he could see a couple of Kremlings walking around inside. He also saw a lot of barrels riding along the conveyor belts, he noticed that they were full of bananas.

"So...how are we supposed to get in there without getting caught?" Diddy asked.

"Maybe there's basement or somethin' we could get into?"

Diddy looked around, he noticed that the cliff side the factory was built on had elevators. He watched as some of the Kremlings made their way up and down. Occasionally, one of them would be seen carrying a barrel down with them. He walked back over to DK and tugged his arm. "I think I might know of a way inside."

"All right, Little Buddy," DK said. "Lead the way."

Diddy lead DK down the cliff, he stayed behind some of the dead plants so he wouldn't be easily detected by the Kremlings. Once the coast was clear, the duo made their way to one of the elevators. As they moved upwards, they could finally see the ocean. They could see Crocodile Isle in the distance, towering over Donkey Kong Island like a threat. What was more concerning, however, was how close K. Rool's galleon was to the island. If DK was going to get anything done, it would be to make sure none of the Kremlings entered that ship with those bananas.

The Kongs finally made it inside the factory. The lights were a lot dimmer then DK thought they would be, he crawled out of the elevator as Diddy jumped onto his back. The Kongs tried to lay low, though there weren't any Kremlings around. They made it to the door, the next room was a lot brighter.

"Do you see anything outstanding, Little Buddy?"

"Uh..." Diddy looked around. He mostly saw Kremlings marching around in that room. He could see Klump sitting in a small room on the upper part of the factory. Below that room, however, were two doors. One of them probably lead to Klump. The other door, on the other hand, had a yellow sign on it.

"I think that door over there is where all the electricity's coming from," Diddy said, pointing at the door. "I dunno how we're gonna get past all those Kremlings, though."

"Well...then maybe it's MY turn to distract the bad guy?"

"What!?"

"You heard me," DK said, "I'll distract these guys while you go in there and cut the power. Do you think you can do that?"

"I guess, but-"

"Great," DK said, "then you'll wait here until all eyes are on me."

"But what about-"

"I'll be fine," DK assured him. "Just wait here until everyone's distracted, OK?"

"...OK."

DK gave Diddy a reassuring smile before he bolted out of the room and made his way to the middle of the factory. He pounded his chest violently, as if to challenge every single Kremling in the factory. As expected, all of the Kremlings began to face his direction...including Klump.

"Well look what he have here," Klump said as he pulled a microphone closer to his snout. "It's a shame you took so long to get here, DK. We're almost done bringin' those bananas over to the Beach."

"Really?" DK asked, crossing his arms, "Cause I'm surprised you guys managed to get past Gorilla Glacier."

"I'm even more surprised that you let that pipsqueak guard the Banana Hoard," Klump retorted. "But enough of that, I say we have ourselves a little fun! And if you win, you can take your Banana Hoard back...sound good?"

"Sounds good to me," DK replied. "And if I win, you'll never come back to this island again."

"That's fair enough," Klump replied. "I just hope you don't mind fighting the ENTIRE FACTORY!"

As if on cue, half of the factory began to run after DK. A couple of the larger Kremlings tried to knock him down while the others cheered them on. DK had no trouble knocking them down. But as he did, other Kremlings began to charge after him.

Klump smiled as the Kremlings continued to fight. He knew DK was foolish, but he wasn't aware that he would be THIS foolish. Klump's smile faltered as he watched Diddy make his way out of the room DK was in. He scurried across the floor while keeping an eye on the fight. Once he made his way into the power room, Klump began to head downstairs. He wanted to see what DK had planned for all this.

* * *

 

As DK kept the Kremlings distracted, Diddy looked around in the power room. He could see a lot of huge wires and coils hanging around on the walls, but he wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to rip them apart. He kept walking until he found the power switch. He tried to pull the switch down, but it wouldn't budge. He tried to pull it down with both arms, as well as his tail. But no matter what, the switch wouldn't budge.

"Do you need any help?"

Diddy jumped, he turned around and saw Klump standing over him. "A-aren't you s'posed to be outside with the rest of the Kremlings?"

"What kind of idiot to you take me for?" Klump snickered as he picked Diddy up by the shirt. "But to be fair...I'd imagine DK's been really determined to get ALL those bananas back, it'd be a shame if he lost someone in the process!"

Diddy yelped. He struggled to get away, but Klump wrapped an arm around him so he couldn't escape. He made his way out of the power room and called out to the other Kremlings. "HEY GUYS, LOOK!"

Everyone turned to face Klump, the Kremlings had a look of amusement of their face. DK, however, looked horrified. He tried to go after Klump, but two large grey Kremlings held him down.

"You know, I don't think it was fair of you to use your nephew like that," Klump said. "But don't worry, I'm sure he'd make a great rug!"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" DK yelled. "I SWEAR, IF YOU LAY ONE FINGER ON HIM-"

"D-don't worry about me, DK!" Diddy reassured him, "I'll find a way outta this mess!"

"Ha! Like that'll ever happen," one of the Kremlings yelled, causing both Kongs to jump.

"It was nice seeing you, DK," Klump said while tightening his grip around Diddy, "But we've got a boat to catch!"

The two grey Kremlings dragged DK out of the room, the big ape watched helplessly as the rest of them took the last of the Banana Hoard, as well as his nephew. He was eventually tossed down into a garbage chute, with no hope of getting out.

* * *

 

Back at the Village, Funky had just finished his plane. He was sitting back while admiring his masterpiece. He would love touch it up a bit, maybe give it a nice aesthetic. But for now, he was done. He looked over to where the village was, he could see Cranky and Candy making their way over to his hut.

"How's it goin', dudes?" Funky greeted, "I finally got the plane fixed up!"

"Took you long enough," Cranky said bitterly. "Now Wrinkly can come back home from that island!"

"So this whole time, you were just worried about Wrinkly?" Candy asked with a grin.

"No, I'm just worried about what those Hell Spawn are doing to her!" Cranky replied. "I can't imagine how the rest of the island would handle them!"

"Take it easy, dude," Funky said with his arms crossed, "You know their mom's sendin' them over for a reason."

"Oh, whatever!"

"So how's it goin' with you, Candy?" Funky asked, "Did that dance studio work out like you thought it did?"

"Not really," Candy replied. "I'll probably just work with Swanky until I can find something else I can do."

"Yeesh, good luck with that."

"Squawk!"

The Kongs looked up, they watched as Squawks landed on top of Funky's hut.

"Well, DK was right about Candy making it back home," Squawks said. "I wasn't expecting to run into you guys, though."

"And where have YOU been?" Cranky asked, bitterly.

"Oh, you know...I've been trapped inside a crate until Expresso helped me out," Squawks replied. "Thankfully, DK and Diddy were there so they could help us get through the mountain."

"So where are they, now?" Candy asked.

"They're at the old factory," Squawks replied. "I'm sure they've already taken care of the Kremlings by now."

"So I'll bet I'll have to go get 'em myself, huh?" Funky asked.

"Well you ARE the one with the plane," Cranky replied.

"Say no more, Cranky-dude," Funky said as he hopped into the plane. "I'll bring those dudes back before you know it!"

Funky started the engine. It sparked at first, but it took no time at all for it to take off. The group watched as Funky soared in the air, he was heading towards the factory.

"Do you think DK will be all right?" Candy asked.

"Of course he'll be all right," Cranky replied. "It's DK, after all!"

Candy nodded, though she couldn't help but worry about him. Even if DK HAD gotten the bananas back, there was no way that King K. Rool would let this all go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard enough for me to think through on its own, but I feel like it still works.
> 
> Onto the next chapter...


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, Chimp Caverns is a hard area for me to adapt. It's all just a bunch of cave levels, which we've already seen with Monkey Mines. Plus, there's the fact that we have a boss fight (Master Necky Sr.) before another boss fight.
> 
> ...Incidentally, if anyone else does their own novelization of DKC, then I hope they can adapt this area better then I can XD.

DK screamed until he reached the bottom of the garbage chute. Somehow, he landed on a couple large feathers. When he looked around, he could see a few banana peels scattered about. Across from him was another pile of feathers, as well as an armadillo. The armadillo took notice and headed over to DK's side.

"You lost, little guy?" DK asked as he started petting the armadillo. It flopped onto its side like a baby rhino. DK looked around, the walls looked like they were made out of steel. While he was willing to climb anything, he didn't think that there was a way to climb the walls here.

"I guess we're stuck down here forever," DK told the armadillo. The big ape jumped as the feathers began to move. The creature groggily turned its head, he looked an awful lot like the Master Necky. However, his head was purple and he had bags under his eyes. He turned his head to look at DK.

"What's with that look?" asked the Necky, "Haven't you seen a giant Necky, before?"

"...Yes I have, actually," DK said, keeping his distance. The armadillo sat up and began running towards the large Necky, he began to wag his tail.

"So...I'm guessing that you've ran into my son?" the Necky asked. DK's eyes widened. "Master Necky is your SON!?"

"Of course," said the large Necky. "Before his time, I used to be the one who ruled the Neckies. Nowadays, I just go by 'Senior'."

"Master Necky Sr?"

"That's right," said the Necky. "And who are you supposed to be? Are you a relative of Donkey Kong's?"

"He's...my grandfather," DK replied hesitantly. "The name's Donkey Kong III, but I just go by DK."

"That's fair," said Senior. "It's been such a long time since I've seen him and Junior, so I'd imagine he'd already have grand kids at this point."

"So why are you out here?" DK asked, "Aren't you supposed to be with the other Neckies?"

"I should be, but I prefer to stay out here with Army," said Senior. "Besides, the animals out here are a lot less chaotic then the ones in Vine Valley...What with the Orangutans and such, though I've heard that Queen B has been doing much better since she and her ex husband parted ways."

"How...very interesting," DK said, though not paying much attention to the Necky. He looked up, he nearly screamed when he saw the shadow of another large Necky. He hoped that it was a different large Necky, but his hope was lost when he saw the Master Necky's neck dip into the...giant trash can? He wasn't sure what to call it.

"Dad, I'm hear to warn you that the Kongs-"

"What about 'em?" asked senior, "They haven't done anything wrong."

The Master Necky tilted his head in confusion, he looked around until he noticed DK sitting in the ground.

"You, again!?" The Master Necky squawked. "Did you come over to brainwash my father!?"

"He hasn't done anything wrong," Senior replied. "He was simply dropped down here by the Kremlings."

"Well, I'll bet it's for a good reason." The Master Necky said smugly. "And where's the small one? Isn't he supposed to be with you?"

"The Kremlings took him along with the rest of the Banana Hoard," DK replied. "For all I know, he could be on K. Rool's ship at this point."

"Well, he deserves it," Master Necky said before Senior pecked his head with his beak. The older Necky turned his head to face DK. "I know it may seem hopeless, but perhaps there's still enough time for you to catch up to them?"

"And how would you know?" DK asked.

"Because," said Senior, "There's a minecart up ahead that can take you directly to the beach. If you're quick enough, you might be able to cut them off."

With that said, Senior grabbed onto DK with his beak before bringing him onto a ledge. Once he placed DK down, the ape looked at Senior with a confused look.

"It was nice talking to you," said Senior, "But I understand that you have some unfinished business to take care of. Until we meet again, DK."

DK waved as Senior withdrew his neck. Master Necky gave DK a bitter look, though he didn't look interested in going after him...Especially not when Senior was around. The big ape made his way further into the cave, because not only was the Banana Hoard at stake, so was Diddy. And DK was willing to do whatever it took to get his nephew back.

 

* * *

 

The caverns were a lot bigger then DK thought they were. In fact, he couldn't help but notice some of the walls had bones sticking out. He wondered if he could pull out one of the bones and use it as a weapon against those Kremlings. However, it probably wasn't a good idea to use a prehistoric bone as a weapon. The last thing he needed was to anger the dead.

DK finally found the minecart sitting on a cliff. From what he could tell, the minecart lead to a very steep drop. The only plus side to this was that he didn't have to worry about crashing into any Kremlings. He hopped into the minecart and pushed forward, his heart nearly dropped as the it dove 50 feet from the air. The ape sped past some interesting sights, including some volcanic vents as well as an ancient rib cage.

As the minecart kept moving, DK could see a light coming towards him. He covered his face in order to protect himself from the oncoming light. Once he opened them, he was finally greeted with the familiar sight of the jungle. As fun as it was to explore the caves of Monkey Mines and the trees of Vine Valley, there was nowhere else DK would rather be then the jungle.

The minecart eventually came to a screeching halt, causing DK to dive head-first into the beach. When he sat up, he could see two ships leaving the island. DK looked devastated, he was already too late. At this point, it would take a miracle to get to those ships.

...As if on cue, DK could hear an airplane flying above him. It looped around a bit before landing on the beach, DK sighed in relief as he saw Funky coming out of the plane.

"Whaddaya think, DK? Are ya impressed or what?"

"Now's not a good time," DK replied.

"Why not?" Funky asked, "Did those Kremlings take off already?"

"Take a look for yourself," DK said, pointing to the ships in the distance. "They've even taken off with Diddy."

"I see," Funky said as he nodded slowly. "Well, it's a good thing I came lookin' for ya then. Just hop on in and I'll fly you over there."

"Thanks, Funky," DK said as he hopped into the back of the plane. "I'll pay you back, later."

"No worries, DK. This one's on me."

Funky hopped into the front of the plane. It struggled for a moment, but it managed to lift itself off the ground. After having to work so hard to survive through the island, DK was ready to face off against King K. Rool. As much as he wanted a fair fight, he wasn't going to show the Kremling King any mercy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, the fight between DK and K. Rool will happen soon...hopefully.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, our story is quickly coming to a close.
> 
> Given how lazy I usually am, I wasn't expecting to get 5 chapters done, let alone this whole story. I'll save this whole speech for the last chapter, but I really appreciate that you guys took the time to read this thing.
> 
> Anyway...onto the Final Boss, himself.

The Kremlings celebrated as they headed on home. Many of them started drinking their rum while others started dancing. They couldn't believe that they managed to take all of those bananas from DK. Not only that, they were happy to have taken off with Diddy as well. With so much to take, the Kongs should have no other choice but to surrender.

On K. Rool's ship, Diddy stayed tied up below deck, he was surrounded by boxes full of old clothes. As far as he knew, the bananas had to be on Klump's ship. He knew he told DK he'd find a way out, but the Kremlings had him tied up ever since he got onto the ship. He had tried to untie himself with his own feet, but all that did was give him a black eye. From the looks of things, all he could do was sit around until the Kremlings made it back to Crocodile Isle.

Diddy jumped as he heard something rattling. He looked up, he almost screamed when he saw a green rattlesnake make his way through the grate above him. This also caused the snake to panic.

"No, no! Don't freak out!" said Rattly. "I'm here to help you!"

"And how do I know that you won't poison me?" Diddy asked.

"Well...becaussse I want to teach K. Rool a lessson," Rattly explained. Diddy tilted his head in confusion, "But why? Aren't you on his side?"

"Uh..." Rattly rubbed the back of his head with his rattle. "Yesss, but he doesssn't want to lisssten to a word I sssay. And besidesss...You want to go home, don't you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then we've got no time to wassste," Rattly said as he bit off one of the ropes, freeing Diddy in the process. As greatful as Diddy was to be freed, he still wasn't sure how he would be able to escape with all these Kremlings around. There were no windows down here, and the only way outside was through the grate at the top.

Suddenly, the music stopped, Diddy began to hear the Kremlings chattering among themselves. He looked at Rattly with a confused look.

"Looks like K. Rool might have some unwanted company," Rattly said with certainty. "And if I were you, I would want to help them out."

Diddy nodded, he quickly looked around to see if he could disguise himself. He lifted the tops off some of the boxes, he managed to find a large coat and a crocodile mask. He wasn't sure if this disguise would work, but it was worth a try. Once he threw the clothes onto himself, he crawled on top of the barrels and crawled out of the grate. Without warning, K. Rool grabbed his arm and glared at him.

"What were you doing down there with the prisoner?"

"Uh..."

K. Rool shook his head, he pushed Diddy into the direction of the cannons. "No matter, we've got Kongs trying to invade Klump's ship. I need you to prepare the cannons just in case something goes wrong. Got it?"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"Good, just make sure you don't hit anyone but those fleabags!"

Diddy was smiling under his mask, he couldn't believe K. Rool had fallen for his disguise...Though to be fair, he probably couldn't tell his own grunts apart besides Klump. Diddy watched as an airplane dove down besides the ship. Not only did he see Funky flying the ship, he also saw DK sitting in the back of it as well. He grabbed onto a cannonball and placed it inside the cannon. K. Rool would find it suspicious if one of the Kremlings attacked Klump for no reason, so Diddy needed to wait a little longer before he could do anything.

* * *

 

"All right, DK. Are you ready for this?"

"I was born ready!"

"Then good luck, I'll be around in case you need a ride home!"

Funky flew above Klump's ship, he turned the plane around so that DK could land. As he fell, DK turned his body so that he could pound the floor below him. The Kremlings on the ship began to circle DK. One of the Kremlings, Klump, began to walk forward.

"Well, now...I wasn't expecting to see you back here," Klump said, crossing his arms, "Why couldn't you have just left us alone?"

"Funny, I was just gonna ask you the same thing."

"Lemme guess, you want us to give back your bananas?"

"Every single one of 'em," DK replied. "And you'll also bring Diddy back, unharmed!"

"Hah, like that would ever happen," Klump replied. "Besides, it's not up to me whether you get your stuff back."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...if you want everything back, you'll have to fight our beloved king!"

As if on cue, K. Rool let out a huge laugh. He jumped from one ship to the other, he gave DK a menacing grin. "You weren't expecting to get out of this without facing ME, did you?"

DK grumbled, he watched as most of the Kremlings headed below deck. They were up to something from the looks of it.

"Now, I know why you're here," K. Rool said patiently. "And I'll be happy to give everything back, IF you let me take over the your island."

"Not a chance!"

"Very well, then," K. Rool said with a smirk. "Taking you down would be much more fun, anyway!"

K. Rool charged after DK, the big ape barely moved aside. For being such a fat lizard, K. Rool was much faster then he looked. He threw his crown at DK, it ended up hitting him in the nose.

"Ah, you son of a..." DK held himself back from swearing as he rubbed his nose. Without warning, K. Rool tackled him against the wall. DK could've sworn he felt something crack.

"What's the matter, DK?" K. Rool teased, "Am I too tough for ya?"

DK stood up. This time, he charged after K. Rool in an attempt to throw him into the water. He almost threw him off, but K. Rool was able to hold onto the ledge. As the fight continued, the Kremlings began to shoot cannonballs into DK's direction. Many of them missed, as the Kremlings worried they would hit the ship. However, many of them were also close to hitting DK on the head. The ape stayed low until everything died down. As soon as he was sure there were no more cannonballs, one of them managed to hit K. Rool in the face. DK looked at the the other ship, one of the "Kremlings" lifted his mask and revealed himself to be Diddy. He gave DK a thumbs-up, showing him that he was all right. The Kremlings around Diddy looked around suspiciously, he brought his mask down before anyone could question him. DK looked down at K. Rool. The croc stayed perfectly still, he looked as if he actually died. DK walked closer to him to get a better look, only to step aside as K. Rool tried to grab him.

Diddy panicked as some of the other Kremlings began to shoot at DK, again. He grabbed a nearby cannonball and placed it inside the cannon. He aimed at K. Rool once again, but he ended up hitting the side of the galleon instead. The Kremlings inside the galleon began to panic, they swam into the water and began to make their way over to K. Rool's ship.

"All right, who's the idiot that keeps on hitting us?!" K. Rool yelled as he looked back at his own galleon. DK saw this as an opportunity to finish the fight. He pushed K. Rool into the water before the ship crashed into a boulder. DK fell onto his side as the ship crashed. But as far as he could tell, his journey was coming to a close.

Diddy watched as the Kremlings made their way to K. Rool's galleon, he felt that this was his cue to leave. He dropped his coat and threw away his mask before diving into the water. One by one, the Kremlings made it to the ship. As K. Rool climbed, he began to call out to DK. "WELL, AT LEAST WE GET TO KEEP THAT PIPSQUEAK! I'M SURE HIS HEAD WOULD LOOK GREAT ON MY WALL!"

"Uh...about that," said one of the Kremlings as he pulled out the coat Diddy had just thrown away. K. Rool blinked, he cursed under his breath as he finished climbing. "Well, then I guess we'll have to go back home and come up with a new plan."

* * *

 

DK sat down on what remained of Klump's ship, he watched as the Kremlings continued to take off. However, he couldn't help but notice Diddy poking his head out of the water. He was a slow swimmer, but as soon as he reached the ship, DK ran up to him and threw him into his arms.

"ACK!" Diddy yelled in complete surprise. "What gives, DK!?"

"I'm just glad to see you're still alive!" DK yelled while squeezing him. "I never should've tried to distract those guys back at the factory, I'm sorry."

"D-don't worry about it, DK," Diddy said while he struggled free from DK's arms. "A snake helped me out, he told me he wanted to help teach K. Rool a lesson."

"Well, you were lucky someone was able to help ya outta there," DK replied. "'Cause believe me, not even the bravest Kongs would want to go on THAT island."

"What about Wrinkly?"

"What about her? She's braver then any of us!" DK said as he playfully ruffled Diddy's fur. The duo looked up as they heard a plane flying above their heads, they could hear Funky laughing in pure joy as his plane landed onto the ship.

"Dude, that was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Funky yelled as he jumped out of the plane. "First, there was that whole thing with K. Rool, and then there were the cannons, and hoo boy do we have a lot to talk about when we get home!"

"Oh yeah," Diddy ran towards the grate on the ship, "I think the bananas are down here somewhere!"

"You think so?" DK asked as he pulled the grate off its hinges. From what he could see, there were a lot of barrels thrown about thanks to the crash. Some of them were open, others looked like they had bananas mushed inside. But as far as DK could tell, most off the barrels appeared to be just fine.

"Y'know, it might take us a few trips to get everything back home," Funky said while walking over to the airplane and pulling out a net. "But if you guys want, you can go home for a bit and relax."

"Sounds good to me," DK said while Diddy climbed onto his shoulders. He helped bring a couple of the barrels into Funky's net while Funky tied the net the the bottom of the plane. Once everything was ready, the Kongs made their way into the plane and began to fly home. DK's journey was finally over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, everything is drawing to a close.
> 
> And while I'd usually wait to put the next chapter up, expect it to pop up this weekend (Monday at the very latest).
> 
> Anyway, see you guys later.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I'd get this done by Monday at the latest, but I'm just so excited to put this thing up.
> 
> Here it is, the last chapter.

Back at the Village, Cranky was sitting in his chair. For once, he was allowed to enjoy himself without having to hear Funky's music. Yep, all he needed was some peace and quiet.

...Of course, it didn't last for very long. He could hear the other Kongs in the village chatting among themselves, along with what sounded like an airplane. Sure enough, he watched as Funky landed in the middle of the plaza. DK stepped out of the plane while Diddy jumped off his shoulders, the big ape grabbed one of the barrels out of Funky's net.

"Wait just a minute!" Cranky yelled as he walked over to DK. "Where are all of the bananas?"

"These are all of the ones we could bring back right now," DK said. "The rest of 'em are on one of the Kremling ships...or at least what's left of it."

"What's left of...You mean you destroyed it!?" Cranky asked in surprise. DK looked down at Diddy, he rubbed the back of his head. "Actually-"

"Unbelievable!" Cranky yelled in shear joy, "Who would've thought a young whippersnapper like you could've beaten that bunch of no good Kremlings? You've made an old man proud!"

DK blushed as some of the Kongs cheered. He was happy he could stop the Kremlings, and at one point he would've loved to receive all of the attention. But this time, it just felt...wrong.

"I know you're happy and all," DK said, "But what about Diddy?"

"What about him?" Cranky asked, "I hope he didn't slow you down TOO much."

"Actually, he helped me-"

"HELPED YOU!?" Cranky yelled, "IT WAS HIS FAULT THE BANANA HOARD GOT STOLEN IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

At that moment, Diddy turned pale. Hearing Cranky say those words made him feel as if he was just punched in the gut. It didn't help that many of the younger Kongs agreed with him.

"I-I gotta get outta here!" Diddy yelled in complete panic.

"GOOD!" Cranky yelled as Diddy ran off. DK and Funky gave the old ape a harsh glare, Cranky gave them a puzzled look. "What?"

"Dude, that was so cold you made Gorilla Glacier look hot in comparison!" Funky said bluntly.

"Oh, whatever!" Cranky said while marching back to his cabin."I'm gonna go get some sleep!"

DK huffed as Cranky walked away. As much as he wanted to knock some sense into him, he didn't want anything to escalate even further. DK lifted the barrel above his head, he turned to Funky. "You can go on ahead and bring the rest of the bananas here, OK? I can carry 'em to the Banana Hoard by myself."

"You got it, dude," Funky said as he took the rest of the barrels out of the net before flying again. DK began to head on home. He had a lot of work to do, but he at least wanted to make sure Diddy was all right.

 

* * *

 

It was finally night time, DK had managed to bring every single barrel into the Banana Hoard. It was a lot of work, and he would have to empty them out later, but at least he had plenty of barrels to work with. DK grabbed a couple bananas before finally heading into the tree house. None of the torches were lit up, yet he doubted that Diddy was actually asleep. As expected, Diddy was laying down in his tire...all while trying to pick dirt out of his fur again.

"So I finally got all the bananas back in the hoard," DK said as he got closer to his nephew. "I figured that you'd want one after all the hard work we've been through."

Diddy glanced at DK before turning around, the big ape sighed as he sat down. "Look...I know you're upset about what Cranky said, but you know he's wrong!"

Once again, Diddy didn't say anything. He looked at DK like he was a big buffoon.

"You know it wasn't your fault, we didn't know that those Kremlings were gonna show up. Heck, I didn't want you to guard the hoard in the first place?"

"...Is it because I'm weak?"

"Uh...At first, yeah," DK said, rubbing the back of his head. "After that whole mess, I didn't want you to come with me. I knew those Kremlings would try to hurt you again if I'd brought you along."

Diddy tilted his head, he had a confused look on his face.

"Look, I promised myself I would protect you no matter what...But after this whole adventure, I can see you're a lot stronger then you look."

"But you were the one doin' most of the fighting," Diddy replied.

"So what? YOU were the one who knocked out Really Gnawty, YOU were the one who saved me from Master Necky, and YOU were the one who sank that ship!" DK placed the bananas onto the ground before placing his hand onto Diddy's shoulder. "You may not have the muscle, but you certainly have the brain. And no matter what everyone else thinks, you've been the best traveling companion anyone's ever asked for."

"Ah, gees," Diddy said quietly. "I'm just glad everything's all right."

"Me too, Little Buddy."

"...And DK?"

"Yeah?"

Diddy sat up, he quickly wrapped his arms around DK's neck. "Thanks for tryin' to save me back there!"

DK was confused for a moment, but he returned the hug nonetheless. "Who knows? Maybe your next adventure will be even better than this!"

"Yeah...Maybe."

Diddy's smile faltered, he had completely forgotten about that talk he had back on Gorilla Glacier. He recalled Tiki Tong saying something about DK's life depending on him, though he couldn't remember why. Either way, the Kongs' adventure was over, they could finally rest without having to worry about the Kremlings running off with their food.

That night, the Kongs slept like they haven't slept in years. After all that hard work, they finally deserved it.

 

* * *

 

As the Kongs rested, the Kremlings continued to sail back to Crocodile Isle. The boat was completely crowded, there was hardly any room to move. Even the Kremlings below deck were having a hard time adjusting. While the rest of the Kremlings struggled, K. Rool was sitting inside his cabin while trying to think of a new plan. His claws were covering his face. Ever since DK had taken the bananas back, he had been stumped on what he was supposed to do now. Stealing the bananas again would be useless, and he couldn't just attack the island again.

Klump was sitting opposite to K. Rool, with Screech sitting on his shoulder. Like K. Rool, Klump has also been thinking about what to do. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"How 'bout you build a giant lasar?" Klump asked, "We could turn the island into dust that way, not to mention all the Kongs that get destroyed in the process."

"Believe me, I'd build one if I had the resources," K. Rool replied. "Maybe I could ask those vikings for help? I'm sure they'd love freezing those Kongs to death."

"But don't they hate you?" Klump asked, "Especially after you tried to attack their king?"

"...You're right, that probably won't do us any good."

The room went completely silent once again, both Kremlings tried to think of another way to go after the Kongs. Finally, Screech began to flap his wings. "How about we just kidnap and torture DK?"

"Come again?" K. Rool asked, lifting his head out of his hands.

"Well...if DK thinks he's so high and mighty, why don't we torture him?"

"Y'know...If something were to happen to DK, then that brat would have to take over the island," Klump said with a smirk.

"And if that pipsqueak takes over the island, and something happened to HIM, then there would be no more kings on that island!" K. Rool said as he excitedly clasped his hands together, "It's genius!"

Suddenly, the room shook violently. K. Rool fell out of his chair while Klump slip into his desk, they couldn't help but wonder if the boat crashed into something. K. Rool marched over to the door and opened it, he watched as his soldiers began to leave the ship. Fortunately, it looked like they stopped back on Crocodile Isle. He looked up at the Kremling that was holding the steering wheel, "Hey, what gives?"

"Uh...sorry, your majesty," said the Kremling. "I couldn't see where I was going, but the good news is that nobody got hurt."

"And what about the ship?" K. Rool asked in a demanding tone. "Can we still use it?"

"I'm afraid not," said the Kremling. "It's stuck against the coast of Crocodile Isle."

K.Rool sighed as he made his way down to the ship's side. From what he could tell, the bottom of the ship was completely destroyed. He was going to have to put his plan on hold until could find another way to get to Donkey Kong Island.

Even with his boat destroyed, K. Rool wasn't going to give up easily. He was going to finish those Kongs off even if it killed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *DKC2 theme plays in the distance*
> 
> But in all seriousness, I really wasn't expecting to get this story done at all. I'm really glad that you guys liked it (and that those who've read the original story have said I've improved since then.), I really appreciate it. It was also a lot of fun for these guys, and I'm glad I got to do it again.
> 
> I've also started on writing the next one, but I think I'll hold off on posting that one for a little while. So until then, I hope you guys have a good day.


End file.
